Tag: Singapore

NSmen Forced To Sign “Consent Form”

i’m writing in to unfold an standard protocol required by SAF for our annual FFI clearance, which is mandatory for NSmen upon reaching the age of 35 years old. I’m like all 35 years old, was scheduled for this liability, days after turning 35. So here goes with the standard procedures: blood test, eye test, ECG test, weight and height measurement and not forgotting, a declaration form on your wellbeing and personal details. And the final stage of the test, seeing the in-camp Medical Officer (MO).

I’m an avid runner and swimmer, who exercises regularly at least 5 to 6 days per week, but however I do have some bad habits in smoking and drinking (occasionally), therefore, as per the MO, standard protocol requires me to take the treadmill test, scheduled a few days later at the National Heart Centre.

So well, IPPT and NS is a man’s responsibility, therefore I do not even have the slightest complaint, and not to mention, I do not have any problem in clearing my IPPT. I only have problem getting GOLD! Silver to me is like a piece of cake.

A few days later and here I am, in the National Heart Centre, waiting for my turn to take the test. As the nurse was implanting all the “sockets” on my body, and explaining briefly to me about this test, a remark suddenly caught my full attention.

“Sir I need you to know that there’s a possibility of 1 in 10,000 of heart attack for this test and we need you to sign a consent form.”

Straight away, the answer in my mind was NO! For tons of reasons which I explained to the doctor when the nurse could not handle my queries.

Why should we be liable for something we did not ask for? If SAF needs us to do such test, it proves there’re some health risks after the age of 35, and why are they still implementing this and most importantly, how can they wash their hands off matters which they are forcing the citizens to do? Least they can do is to be liable in case NSmen suffer heart attack during the test.

I saw the MO again, he had no explanations for my concerns and quoted me an example:

“There’s risk to everything you do, like you chose to park your car there, there is risk of break-in.”

Any answer to him is simple, “I chose to park the car there and willing to take the risk. I did not choose to serve NS or IPPT, therefore I shouldn’t be liable for the risk.”

MO’s reply: This is standard protocol and nothing he can do about it. If I do not comply, I will get charged.

I ended the conversation immediately, and in any case, what can a Captain do to oppose such non-logical protocol?

It might sound like a small issue and I know many of you will tell me I am over reacting but I feel insulted that we are forced to sign a “consent form” or be charged. Like that, it’s not really consent since I have no choice.

The Truth

* Submitted by TRE reader.

Source: www.tremeritus.com

December 23, 2014
More CCTVs Higher Fines To Deter Illegal Parking

A tiered fines system for illegal parking will be introduced from next year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday.

Under the new rules, motorists who receive their second offence notice within a year will have to pay more in fines.

For example, a motorist caught parking a light vehicle along unbroken double yellow lines will be fined $110, instead of $70, if that is his second offence within 12 months.

“About half of all illegal parking traffic notices issued between 2011 and 2014 are committed by repeat offenders,” LTA said.

The number of demerit points, which are meted out for more serious illegal parking offences, will remain unchanged.

To enforce and deter illegal parking, CCTV cameras will also be installed at 40 more locations, such as along the stretch of Grange Road between Mandarin Gallery and Cineleisure, and along Rochor Road in front of Fu Lu Shou complex.

These CCTV cameras, which provide round-the-clock enforcement, have already been installed at 30 locations.

Dr Chin Kian Keong, LTA’s group director for transportation and road operations, said the authority has “observed improved traffic conditions along some stretches of roads which used to suffer from obstruction caused by indiscriminately parked vehicles, such as along Beach Road, Bishan Road and Pasir Panjang Road”.

“Besides improving traffic flow for cars and other road users, our bus commuters have also benefited from smoother traffic along these roads,” Dr Chin added.

To deter illegal parking, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed at 40 more locations around the island, the Land Transport Authority said on Monday.

These CCTVs, which offer round-the-clock enforcement, are currently used at 30 other locations. These areas have since seen improved traffic conditions, the LTA added.

The new batch of CCTVs will be ready in the first half of 2015.

Locations with CCTV already installed

1. Beach Road (near Golden Mile Complex)
2. Marine Parade Central (near Parkway Parade)
3. Upper Bukit Timah Road (after The Linear)
4. Ardmore Park, Draycott Park (near Ardmore Park & JC Draycott)
5. Commonwealth Avenue West (Clementi MRT, both directions)
6. Serangoon Central (Serangoon MRT, near NEX mall)
7. Boon Lay Way (Boon Lay MRT, near Jurong Point)
8. Bishan Road (Bishan MRT)
9. Jurong Gateway Road (around Jurong East Central, near Jurong East MRT)
10. Jurong West Street 63 (Pioneer MRT)
11. Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 (AMK MRT)
12. Boon Lay Way (Lakeside MRT)
13. New Upper Changi Rd (Bedok MRT, Bedok Centre)
14. Pasir Panjang Road (AVA centre to shophouses before MAS Currency House)
15. Woodlands Road (Kranji MRT, both directions)
16. Collyer Quay (both directions)
17. Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 (Lot 1, CCK MRT/LRT)
18. Choa Chu Kang Loop (outside CCK Bus Interchange)
19. Jalan Sultan (Textile Centre)
20. Tampines Central 1 (near to bus interchange, Tampines MRT)
21. Beach Road (at Golden Mile Food Centre)
22. River Valley Road (in front of Spize, Boon Tong Kee)
23. Tanjong Katong Road (near Parkstone Road)
24. Woodlands Ave 7 (Admiralty MRT)
25. North Bridge Road (opp and along Bugis Junction)
26. Jalan Besar (Eminent Plaza)
27. Punggol Road (junction of Punggol Central, both directions)
28. Sembawang Road (Jalan Lengkok Sembawang)
29. Serangoon Road (Tekka Centre)
30. Upper Serangoon Road (junction of Simon Road & Florence Road)

Locations selected for CCTV installation in 2015

1. Ang Mo Kio Street 52 (in front of Block 527)
2. Bukit Batok East Avenue 3 (in front of Block 284)
3. Beach Road (from Purvis Street junction to Middle Road)
4. Beach Road (from Seah Street junction to Purvis Street)
5. Buffalo Road (from Serangoon Road junction to lamp-post 5)
6. Cambridge Road (in front of Block 43)
7. Cambridge Road (in front of Blocks 41A & 42)
8. Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 (in front of Hong Kiat seafood)
9. Cluny Park Road (in front of French Embassy & Cluny Court towards the direction of Bukit Timah Road)
10. Cluny Park Road (taxi stand, opposite unit 89)
11. Collyer Quay (access road next to OUE Bayfront)
12. Dunman Road (from Joo Chiat Road junction to Onan Road junction)
13. Grange Road (between Mandarin Gallery and Cineleisure)
14. Jalan Kembangan (Kembangan MRT)
15. Jalan Pelepah (opposite AVA centre)
16. Joo Chiat Road (in front of I12 Katong Mall)
17. Jurong West Street 91 (in front of Blocks 962 to 959)
18. Marina Coastal Drive (in front of Marina South Pier)
19. Marymount Road (in front of Marymount MRT)
20. New Bridge Road (from Keong Saik Road junction to junction of Kreta Ayer Road)
21. Outram Road (in front of Tan Boon Liat building)
22. Owen Road (in front of Pek Kio market)
23. Pasir Ris Drive 4 (in front of Pasir Ris polyclinic)
24. Race Course Road (from Little India MRT to taxi stand F27)
25. Rochor Road (in front of Fu Lu Shou complex)
26. Selegie Road (between POMO and Parklane Shopping Mall)
27. Seletar Road (in front of Greenwich Shopping Centre)
28. Sengkang West Avenue (in front of Fernvale Point)
29. Serangoon Road (in front of The Verge Shopping Mall)
30. Tampines Avenue 4 (in front of Tampines Mall)
31. Tiong Bahru Road (Redhill MRT – bus stop)
32. Tiong Bahru Road (Redhill MRT – pick up bay)
33. Toh Tuck Road (in front of SingPost)
34. Upper Paya Lebar Road (Tai Seng MRT – exit B)
35. Upper Paya Lebar Road (Tai Seng MRT – exit A)
36. Upper Serangoon Road (Serangoon MRT – exit B)
37. Upper Serangoon Road (in front of eateries near Sunshine Terrace)
38. Woodlands Street 82 (in front of Woodlands North Plaza)
39. Worcester Road (before right bend into HDB car park, both sides)
40. Yishun Avenue 11 (in front of Block 419)

Source: www.straitstimes.com

December 23, 2014
Former Malaysian DPM Tun Musa Hitam Is Liberal And Proud Of It

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam has declared that he is a liberal and proud of it, joining a small but growing band of Malay Muslims speaking up in the face of Islamic fundamentalism that has crept into the country.

In an interview with The Star daily published today, Musa, the first of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s four deputies, also pointed out that Umno was founded on the principles of moderation and liberalism because the Malay nationalist party wanted Malaysia to be one.

“Only moderation and liberalism will allow us to survive,” Musa was quoted saying.

“First let me say this emphatically and very firmly – I have always been a liberal and a moderate and am proud of it. My family, my parents, my elders brought me up that way, and in my more grown up days since I entered politics, my political party Umno adopted the stance of moderation from the early days that we gained independence. But I don’t know what’s happening there now,” he added.

Musa’s declaration of his liberal beliefs comes after a group of 25 retired senior civil servants called for open debate of Islamic legislation in Malaysia and urged Putrajaya to assert the supremacy of the Federal Constitution over Shariah state laws.

Malaysia’s religious authorities have long derided liberalism and pluralism, with Friday sermons nationwide claiming a conspiracy by “enemies of Islam” to manipulate Muslims through such philosophies and other ideologies like secularism, socialism, feminism and positivism.

This has been repeated by Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who in April said that Islam was being tested by new threats under the guise of humanism, secularism, liberalism and human rights.

Musa told The Star that he was very happy to see the statement made by the 25 prominent Malays.

“To me personally, that was a very good symbolic statement made by them in that they triggered thinking, arguments and conversations. Then there were the responses, which I compliment also because they are not calling names. They are not arguing based on irrationality but arguing on an almost point-by-point basis. This was absent before,” he said.

The 80-year-old also noted that “many Malay leaders” were attempting to instil fear and a siege mentality among the Malays, but did not name anyone.

“As a result, they are also instilling a very serious inferiority complex among the Malays. This is misplaced. So many Malays are capable, yet every day these groups are saying ‘You are inferior, you need protection’ and ‘Those superior people are attacking or threatening us’,” said Musa.

He said Malays had no reason to fear as they were well-equipped to face such challenges and to be competitive.

The former deputy prime minister and home minister, who served from 1981 to 1986, stressed that a democracy must have a high tolerance of criticism, amid a spate of investigations and prosecutions under the Sedition Act 1948 targeting mostly dissidents against the government.

“So, what I am trying to do is appeal to both sides, don’t just arrest them and hassle them. Use rationale and reasoning,” he said.

Musa also expressed concern about the use of racial and religious issues to gain political mileage, which he said hearkened back to the time leading up to the bloody May 13 race riots in 1969.

“Very early on in my political career, I saw so many attempts for popular support using racial and religious issues. I hate to use this example but I have to – the May 13 incident was the result of it all.

“But we were supposed to have learnt and corrected ourselves after that. Yet now, after so many years, we seem to be back to the old days. The basic ingredients are the same, the approach is the same, even the statements are the same in many respects. In the historical perspective, it brings a very eerie reminder of the bad old days,” he said.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

December 23, 2014
PAP Parachutes Former Hougang SMC Candidate Desmond Choo To Tampines

As the general election draws near, failed PAP candidate Desmond Choo at the Hougang constituency has suddenly been seen making the rounds at the Tampines GRC.

In his Facebook posting last week, Mr Choo made mention of Tampines several times.

“Visited our residents from Blk 260 last night. Very glad to know that many of them were in good festive spirits. Most of them were residents of Tampines for more than 20yrs and their children continued to stay in Tampines after their marriage,” he said.

“When asked why, it was simply, “We love Tampines”.

One wonders though why he did not continue to stay in Hougang after the last general election, or why the PAP decided to move him out.

In fact, Desmond Choo had ran his campaign in the by-election in Hougang on being ‘Always Here for You’.

But it looks like Mr Choo has decided to stop being there for the Hougang residents and have decided to turn heart towards Tampines.

Will ‘We love Tampines’ be his new slogan?

More importantly, will the Tampines residents buy into his sudden entrance?

On his Facebook, he also said, “We have gotten a lot of good feedback to improve the neighborhood. We need to continue to work hard to ensure that this will be the case for many years to come.”

Just yesterday, Mr Choo also visited the markets to try to win more votes.

Once again, he spoke about how long the residents have been in Tampines.

“Many of the shopkeepers had been around since 1985.

“Their continued vibrance had continued to attract patrons from even outside Tampines. Was reminded by them frequently that the Merchant Association and Town Council relationship is the foundation of their livelihood.

“Seems like we have a strong bedrock in place,” he said.

Looks like Mr Choo’s strategy is to emphasise on the residents’ stay at Tampines in the hope that by latching onto their presence that this can help him get voted into parliament.

Will the Tampines residents let it happen?

Mr Choo had failed in make inroads in Worker’s Party-stronghold at the Hougang constituency and has been shifted to Tampines.

Tampines GRC is currently headed by ex-minister Mah Bow Tan who is widely unpopular, after his harshly-criticised housing policies. Mr Khaw Boon Wan, who took over him as National Development Minister, has also been criticised, especially for his remarks on how Singaporean households who earn only $1,000 are able to buy HDB flats.

Mr Choo, who was given the moniker, “auntie’s killer”, is not the only candidate who is parachuted into the Tampines GRC. At the last general election, Mr Baey Yam Keng who was previously at the Tanjong Pagar GRC, was also sent in, in a bid to help win the Tampines GRC.

But Tampines GRC only won 57.2 percent of the votes at the last general election and Mr Choo’s move looks to be an attempt to stave off the possibility of the PAP losing the GRC at the next general election.

At the Hougang by-election in 2012, Mr Choo had asked Hougang residents not to vote for the Worker’s Party as it will be four more years of “the same thing”.

Thankfully, the Hougang residents did not listen to PAP’s Choo.

Looks like his leaving is an acknowledgment of the Hougang’s residents wanting more of “the same thing” with the Worker’s Party.

“And if I may say, four years of the same thing is four years too long,” Mr Choo had also said.

It does look like his patience and commitment to his Hougang residents was worn quite thin.

And four years is indeed “too long” for him. He has decided to jump ship to the Tampines GRC. Only time will tell if Mr Choo finds four years “too long” with the Tampines GRC.

Mr Choo’s wife, Pamela, was known to be working at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). They got married after two months after the 2011 General Election.

Desmond Choo was the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) deputy director of industrial relations and the National Transport Workers’ Union’s (NTWU) deputy executive secretary.

MOM and NTUC has refused to implement a minimum wage to protect workers in Singapore and have instead worked in cahoots with the government and businesses to cause the wages of Singaporeans to depress instead.

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

December 23, 2014
Reverend Kang Ho Soon Preaches Inclusivity

For more than 40 years, Reverend Kang Ho Soon has preached the message of inclusiveness.

He has welcomed homosexuals to his services, invited religious leaders from various faiths to speak to his Christian flock and reached out to prostitutes and migrant workers.

The Methodist preacher, who retired this month at the age of 65, said: “I’ve been open to friendship with anyone in any station or walk of life, from all religions.”

His retirement service at Paya Lebar Methodist Church on Nov 22 was testament to this.

Among the 1,000-strong crowd were Catholic nuns, a Taoist priest, imams, Sikhs and a representative from atheist group the Humanist Society Singapore.

Rev Kang, a 30-year member of the Inter-Religious Organisation Singapore (IRO), said he does not set out to change people but to “accept them for who they are and to be their friend”.

At 23, in his first role serving the Methodist Church as chaplain of Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) and pastor of the Barker Road Methodist Church, he gave his “full blessings” to a Muslim caretaker – known to him only as Madam Saminah – to hold Islamic classes in her living quarters at the church.

Their friendship blossomed and he would visit her and her family every Hari Raya. Her grown-up daughters were present at his retirement service.

Instead of pursuing an engineering degree, Rev Kang studied theology at Singapore Bible College and Trinity Theological College.

He spent a decade at Paya Lebar Methodist Church, five years at Wesley Church and 17 years at Kampong Kapor in Little India – his longest term. There he reached out to prostitutes and migrant workers in the community.

He said: “Everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, sex trade workers and migrant workers were welcome to attend our services at Kampong Kapor. If we don’t reach out to them, we end up neglecting them.”

He credits his openness to having spent his youth growing up in a kampung on the southern isle of Pulau Bukom.

There, he learnt Jawi, an Arabic alphabet for writing Malay. It was something his late father, a labourer from China, encouraged him to pick up so he could interact with his Malay peers.

Rev Kang is married to former St Andrew’s Junior College teacher Kang Yeok Lung, 65, and brought up his three children in the same way.

His elder son, 35, a deputy public prosecutor, has four children of his own. Rev Kang also has a 29-year-old son who works in the communications field and a 26-year-old daughter who is an officer at the Economic Development Board.

Another friend, Imam Habib Hassan of the Ba-Alwie Mosque, an IRO member, said Singapore needs more open-minded leaders like Rev Kang.

“One time he wasn’t well in hospital, I went to see him. He asked me to pray for him,” said Imam Habib. “We pray for each other… This is the spirit of inter-faith relations that he has been building up.”

Bishop Wee Boon Hup of the Methodist Church Singapore said Rev Kang’s approach to reach out to those who might have a “less favourable view of the Church” has been well received.

“It is difficult to move forward in inter-faith relations unless someone first starts to reach out to another,” he said.

“Ho Soon is one of those who reach out… He makes friends with people from all walks of life, engages in conversation with them and, in the process of hearing them share their faith journey, he is also able to let them hear of his faith.”

Rev Kang, who admitted that his approach has not been “fully accepted” in some Christian circles, believes it is time for the Church “to speak more words of love, hope and peace to marginalised communities, instead of words of condemnation and judgment”.

While he has retired from the Methodist Church, Rev Kang said he will be a pastor till the day he dies.

He said he will devote his time to people, rather than institutional or organisational concerns.

He aims to be a “listening ear” and counsellor to people from all walks of life, including pastors, people of all faiths or no faith, and people of all sexual orientations.

“We’re a conservative society, but everyone can have a place and equal standing,” he said. “We look to try to understand and accept one another, with no agenda to convert.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

December 23, 2014