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Tag: Singaporeans

  • Singapore Ambassador: No Country Grants Absolute Right To Free Speech

    Singapore Ambassador: No Country Grants Absolute Right To Free Speech

    Ms Foo Chi Hsia, Singapore’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has responded to a recent article in The Economist alleging a lack of free speech in Singapore, saying no country gives an absolute right to free speech.

    Society pays a price when the right to free speech is extended to fake news, defamation or hate speech, she added, citing the Brexit campaign and elections in America and Europe.

    “Trust in leaders and institutions, including journalists and the media, has been gravely undermined, as have these democracies. In contrast, international polls show that Singaporeans trust their government, judiciary, police and even media,” wrote Ms Foo in her letter to the UK-based weekly, which was published in its latest edition. “Singapore does not claim to be an example for others, but we do ask to be allowed to work out a system that is best for ourselves.”

    The article Ms Foo was responding to was published on March 9, titled Grumble and be damned. In it, the conviction of three protesters for creating a public nuisance at Speakers’ Corner was mentioned to back the allegation.

    Ms Foo noted that in this 2014 case, the individuals are not taken to court for criticising the government. Rather, they had “loutishly (barged)” into a performance by a group of special education needs children, “frightening them and denying then the right to be heard”.

    Ms Foo added that Singapore does not stifle criticism of the government, and there is free access to information and the Internet.

    “But we will not allow our judiciary to be denigrated under the cover of free speech, nor will we protect hate or libellous speech. People can go to court to defend their integrity and correct falsehoods purveyed against them. Opposition politicians have done this, successfully,” she said.

    Earlier this week, comments by one of the three protesters, blogger Han Hui Hui, on the same case were deemed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers as tantamount to scandalising the judiciary. Ms Han was given a week from Monday to remove and apologise for her various posts alleging impropriety on the part of judges who heard her case, or face contempt of court proceedings.

    Ms Han’s allegations of mistreatment by Singapore Prisons Service officers during her time in the lock-up for the case were also repudiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Cars Too Expensive, Singaporeans Rent Cars By Becoming Uber Driver

    Cars Too Expensive, Singaporeans Rent Cars By Becoming Uber Driver

    In one of the most expensive countries in the world to own a car, Peter Chiu is finding a novel way to pay for one.

    The 58-year-old retired policeman rents a car in Singapore, drives three to four hours a day for Uber Technologies Inc. to cover its cost, and has a shiny Honda Vezel the rest of the time for his personal use. Hiring a vehicle to work for Uber is becoming a more common sight in the city-state, where Chiu’s SUV costs more than a BMW M3 luxury sports sedan does in New York.

    “Buying a car in Singapore is so expensive,” said Chiu. “If you want to drive around to cover expenses, that is quite easy. And any extra money you get, that’s more income for you.”

    New technologies are not only disrupting traditional industries in Singapore — a trend that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said will force the economy to transform — but also changing consumers’ behavior as they try to cope with rising costs and unemployment at a six-year high.

    “Uber is another avenue for employment,” said Brian Tan, an economist with Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore. “It makes the labor market more efficient, because it provides you with an alternative career. You don’t need a special license for that.”

    A Honda Vezel like Chiu’s typically sells for more than S$100,000 ($71,000) in Singapore, almost four times the price in the U.S. On top of taxes, car owners in the city state are forced to buy permits — called Certificates of Entitlement — which are limited in supply and auctioned by the government to help curb road congestion and pollution. At the most recent offering this week, the permit cost S$50,789 for the smallest vehicles.

    Rental Surge

    Chiu drives six days a week for Uber, just enough to cover the S$500 weekly cost of his vehicle, which he rents from Lion City Rentals, a local subsidiary of the car-hailing company. He doesn’t mind the part-time work or the traffic in a country that’s smaller than Rhode Island in the U.S.

    Between 2014 — the year after Uber began operating in Singapore — and 2015, the number of rental cars in the country soared more than 50 percent to 29,369, surpassing the number of taxis on the road, according to official data. Even so, the total vehicle population decreased by 1.5 percent.

    Simon, a 45-year-old former property agent who preferred to give his first name only, rents a Toyota Corolla and drives for Uber four hours a day at most. A slump in home sales since the government began imposing measures to rein in prices has pushed many in the industry to seek other sources of income, including ferrying commuters around the island for Uber.

    Simon said his main job now is making “alternative investments” and the Uber gig allows him to have a car of his own to use on weekends, when he makes trips about 20 kilometers (12 miles) across the border to Malaysia with his wife and two kids. The journey has an added cost-saving advantage: he buys gas for his car in Malaysia, where it’s cheaper.

    Uber is using auto rentals and financing to attract and retain drivers around the world, as are rivals such as GrabTaxi Holdings Pte in Singapore and Lyft Inc. in the U.S. While for many drivers, earning an income may be the main reason they turn to the ride-hailing companies, in Singapore, having the car may be just as important.

    “It makes a lot of sense to rent a car,” said Tang Kin Yee, 53, whose main job is in commercial photography and advertising. Business was slow last year and he started driving for Uber to supplement his income.

    He now rents a Honda Vezel and is thinking about driving for Uber full time.

     

    Source: www.bloomberg.com

  • Surge Pricing Proposal Approved – Cannot Find Taxi, Be Prepared To Pay More

    Surge Pricing Proposal Approved – Cannot Find Taxi, Be Prepared To Pay More

    The Public Transport Council (PTC) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) have approved proposals from taxi companies and ride-hailing app Grab to implement surge pricing in the form of flat fares for trips booked via mobile applications.

    In a joint media statement, PTC and LTA said: “The companies have informed LTA and PTC that this will be introduced as an additional option for commuters to book a taxi, on top of the current metered fare taxi bookings. We have no objections to the proposals.”

    Just like private hire cars booked via Grab and Uber, the cost of a taxi trip booked through a mobile app will vary according to demand. Peak hour trips will cost more, while off-peak trips will cost less.

    Separately, SMRT Taxis has inked an exclusive partnership with Grab to enable all SMRT taxi drivers to use Grab as the only ride hailing app for taxi bookings. Both companies are also collaborating to offer customers dynamic fixed fares for taxi trips booked via Grab. This lets customers know the fare for their intended trip before the start of the journey.

    According to a Grab spokesman, “Dynamic fixed fares are displayed upfront, and already accounts for travel time, distance, booking fees, and real-time demand and supply for taxis. SMRT taxi drivers who accept bookings via this new Grab service enjoy fixed, competitive fares for their service.”

    Metered fares continue to apply for street-hail pickups as well as phone and GrabTaxi bookings.

    Managing Director for SMRT Taxis and Private Hire Services, Tony Heng, said: “The market has evolved and matured significantly, and more customers are now open to having dynamic fixed fares for their taxi rides. This partnership with Grab allows us to keep the pricing for our services competitive, catering to different customer needs and preferences.”

    Melvin Vu, Head of GrabTaxi Singapore, added that Grab has been engaging the authorities since December on implementing dynamic fixed fares for taxis. “The current taxi fare model does not account for real-time passenger demand and driver supply, which often means that passengers pay a surcharge even when there are many available taxis within the vicinity. Dynamic fixed fares ensure that taxis are better utilised throughout the day and passengers enjoy more affordable rides based on real-time market demands, while not eliminating metered fares.”

    Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

  • Eminent Islamic ScholarShaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah Meets Key Singapore Leaders

    Eminent Islamic ScholarShaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah Meets Key Singapore Leaders

    One of the world’s most influential Islamic scholars called on President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday at the Istana.

    Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, president of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies which is based in the United Arab Emirates, called on Dr Tan in the morning.

    They spoke about the importance of social harmony and reaffirmed multiculturalism as a cornerstone of Singapore’s multi-religious, multiracial society.

    Shaykh Abdallah then met PM Lee in the afternoon, with Singapore’s Mufti Fatris Bakaram also present at the meeting.

    The Shaykh, who is from Mauritania and is a strong advocate for multiculturalism and inter-faith understanding, is in Singapore as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) Distinguished Visitor.

    He will deliver the Muis Lecture today – the highlight of Muis’ Distinguished Visitor Programme. This is the fifth time the programme has been held since it started in 2006.

    PM Lee said in a Facebook post: “Inter-faith understanding is crucial to maintaining peace and harmony. We enjoy such peace and harmony but we have to keep learning from others, especially when we see so many countries experiencing religious tensions and conflicts.”

    The Shaykh arrived in Singapore on Monday for a five-day visit.

    On Tuesday, he met Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, who is also Minister for Communications and Information.

    On Wednesday, at a seminar for Islamic religious leaders, he spoke about compassion and human dignity and how they were part of Islamic tradition and thought, Muis said.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Tribute To Slemat Rakisan – A Rare Breed Of Malay Sportsman, True Rugby Gentleman

    Tribute To Slemat Rakisan – A Rare Breed Of Malay Sportsman, True Rugby Gentleman

    RIP SLEMAT RAKISAN:

    I’m just lost for words Thursday night when I heard of the death of a role-model former Singapore rugby international and ex-Vice President of the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU).

    Slemat Rakisan, a 57-year-old father of three, was dreadfully killed when a runaway tire from a trailer truck hit him on his head in a freakiest accident along the Kranji Expressway.

    What a very sad day for Singapore sports!

    He was a rare breed of Malay sportsmen from Saint Andrew’s School, who went on to great heights as an international oval-ball stalwart.

    News of his dreadful death shocked the Singapore rugby fraternity as he was saluted as an international rugby role-model, who came from the rugby-fanatic Saint Andrew’s School, and excelled as a player, coach, referee, referee instructor and leading rugby administrator, internally and internationally.

    Slemat was the Past President of the Singapore Society of Rugby Union Referees (SSRUR) and was one of two Singaporeans who served as Citing Commissioner (CC) with the Asian Rugby Union (ARU). He also served as Vice President of the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU).

    Former Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) President Dr Chan Peng Mun wrote over Facebook: “A tragic and premature passing of a gentle rugby star. In the mid 90’s when rugby awoke from its slumber, he had put his shoulder to the wheel for rugby to gain momentum. Heaven welcomes a very able referee and rugby administrator.”

    LOVE FOR RUGBY

    SNOC (Singapore National Olympic Council) Vice President & current President of the SRU Low Teo Ping saluted Slemat’s outstanding contributions: “His love for rugby went beyond playing the sport. He went on to administer, referee, coach and promote. Slemat will be missed. RIP.”

    Ridzal Saat, the Rugby Services manager at World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body, described Slemat as an “extraordinary role model at rugby and football”.

    He added: “I’m lost for words. He was very special in many ways. Whatever Slemat touched, just turned wonders. He was outstanding as a player, referee, referee instructor, SRU senior official and was faithful in his sports-community work at Yuhua Community Club at football and he even actively served at Jamiyah Singapore, too, to help the Muslim community.”

    Funeral arrangements are being finalised by family, most likely Friday late afternoon.

    RIP Slemat Rakisan.

    My special tribute to a rugby gentleman:

    http://www.sports247.my/…/gentle-rugby-star-dies-in-tragic…/

     

    Source: Suresh Nair

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