Tag: Singaporeans

Singaporean Netizens Divided On Possible Charges For Plastic Bags

What do Singaporean netizens care about?

Apparently, charges on plastic bags used during supermarket shopping trips.

According to a report on Channel NewsAsia at around 10pm last night, “local supermarket chains could impose a plastic bag charge if there is an industry-wide effort to implement one”.

The statement comes as a response to environmental group Zero Waste’s call for the Government to introduce charges on the use of plastic bags among Singaporeans.

Executive director of Zero Waste, Mr Eugene Tay, said: “If there is a charge [for plastic bags] then people will start thinking about how can they reduce the plastic bags that they take.”

The group proposed that retailers charge their customers 10 cents and 5 cents for large and smaller plastic bags respectively, which already sparked discussions on Facebook on the feasibility of the solution.

For example, a netizen said, “Most dwellers use plastic bags to recycle as trash bag. Imagine them dumping trash directly into our rubbish chutes. It would be environmentally unhygienic when the waste foods start rotting inside.”

On the Government side, Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Environment and Water Resources firmly stated that it should be the big supermarkets’ duty to carry out this proposal, as “The Government should look at education; look at bigger issues on the environment, not just plastic bags, per se.”

Spokespeople from the Dairy Farm group (which owns Cold Storage and Giant), and NTUC FairPrice have come forward to tell CNA that at the moment, they already have incentives and efforts in place to reduce the dependence on plastic bags by their shoppers.

NTUC’s”Bring Your Own Bag, FairPrice Green Rewards Scheme” / Image Credit: TODAY

Singaporeans are said to use a whopping 2.5 billion plastic bags each year, and according to statistics from the National Environment Agency’s website, 824,600 tonnes of plastic waste were generated in 2015.

From the latest report, it does seem like these big supermarket chains have decided to respond, albeit without promising anything concrete, to the proposal.

Singaporean Netizens Debate

In response to the news, netizens seem to be somewhat divided.

One begged for others to look at the “bigger issue” as compared to potential inconveniences:

“The rubbish thrown down the chute doesn’t just disappear into thin air y’know.”

Some have mentioned how it is “long overdue”, and suggested ways that the implementation can be carried out:

“[…] Provide one or two reusable shopping bags to the low income group.”

“For those who [don’t request for plastic bags], you pay them instead.”

One called for the Government to take the lead, in light of other nations already taking nationwide steps to reduce plastic waste:

“So come on Singapore Government […] make it compulsory across the industry”

“Adding charges to [the] consumer is definitely not the way to go.”

However, some are adamantly against the potential changes, and have spoken out strongly against it:

“Don’t buy the hype”

“[It’s utter] nonsense.”

Regardless, the sentiments can be accurately summarised in this particular thread, and the number of ‘likes’ for each polarising comment:

Screenshot from CNA’s Facebook page

Online Grocery Providers Can Be Pioneers In Environmentally-Friendly Practices

What’s interesting though, is the fact that a few have taken to the news as even more reason to grocery shop online.

Netizen cites saving time and money on taxi rides

The online grocery shopping scene is a highly competitive one, with honestbee and RedMart being among the few big players in the (pun intended) market.

honestbee team / Image Credit: Vulcan Post

An increasing number of Singaporeans, even without the plastic bag charge fiasco, have been turning to these online providers due to the convenience that comes with the services, especially in light of their busy schedules and the need for a means of transport after an intense grocery shopping session.

Perhaps then, these providers can be the pioneers in encouraging environmentally-friendly practices, and use recyclable bags for their clients’ purchases.

Regardless, the issue seems to be still in pending mode, and there’s no certainty on what the verdict will be.

Source: https://vulcanpost.com

September 28, 2016
Workers’ Party: Singapore Government Must Disallow Online Betting

The Workers’ Party notes with concern the applications from Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club (STC) to launch online betting services.

There are no lack of legal gambling venues in Singapore, including the two casinos and hundreds of outlets accepting bets for Singapore Pools and STC.

When the government decided to clamp down on remote gambling in 2014, it cited concerns about addictive behaviour and easy access to these games. Should the Government approve their applications, Singapore Pools and STC will have 24/7 virtual betting outlets available in almost every home and mobile device.

This convenience may encourage Singaporeans to take up the habit and possibly become a gateway to more serious gambling. The social costs of gambling on families are well documented, and the number of problem gambling cases in Singapore has been on the rise.

It makes little sense for the government to close one door on remote gambling in order to “protect young persons and other vulnerable persons”, while opening another door that exposes them to the ills of gambling in their homes.

During the second reading of the Remote Gambling Bill in 2014, the Government rejected the Workers’ Party call to send the Remote Gambling Bill – specifically the clauses that dealt with exemptions – to a Select Committee of Parliament for further scrutiny and oversight. Nonetheless, the Government committed itself to step up public education and awareness efforts with a specific focus on online gambling. However, as of today, it remains unclear what are the Government’s specific plans and strategies to address the negative effects of online gambling, especially on young and vulnerable persons.

The WP’s 2015 Manifesto contained five proposals to fight problem gambling, including the complete prohibition of remote and online gambling with no exemptions allowed. Exempting Singapore Pools and STC will undermine the government’s motivations for banning remote gambling in the first place.

We oppose the granting of exemptions to any organisation to operate remote and online betting services and we call on the government to reject these applications.

Read the speeches by WP MPs Png Eng Huat, Pritam Singh, and Yee Jenn Jong during the Parliamentary debate on Remote Gambling in 2014.

Pritam Singh
Assistant Secretary-General
The Workers’ Party
27 September 2016

Source: www.wp.sg

September 28, 2016
A Zika Victim’s Lament: I’m Worried About What Future Holds

She has fully recovered from Zika but personal trainer Daphne Maia Loo is still worried.

Although many perceive Zika as a mild illness, the 33-year-old, who has two auto-immune conditions, is concerned because very little is known about the full or long-term effects of the disease.

“We don’t know the long-term effects,” she said, noting that Zika has been linked to the Guillain-Barre syndrome and auto-immune complications. “We don’t know what triggers auto-immune conditions, but there’s definitely a worry that one will set off another … I personally get really irritated when people say it’s a mild disease, as we just don’t have enough information on the effects yet.”

Ms Loo added: “Some people say it’s only dangerous for pregnant women, or that the strain here is not as dangerous for pregnant women as that in South America. But how do we know that is the case in the long term? Viruses also mutate, and it could get worse. It is not something we should downplay.”

Ms Loo came down with fever on Sept 2, days after the Ministry of Health confirmed the first locally transmitted Zika cases. The following night, she went to the accident and emergency department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and was taken to the holding area where suspected Zika patients stayed while waiting for their blood test results.

“I was brought in at about 10pm. It was past midnight by the time they took my blood. I waited till about 8am before they confirmed I had Zika,” she recounted. “It was very uncomfortable while (I was) waiting, as I was only given a chair. Beds were limited, and only those who were very sick got them.”

Ms Loo said she was transferred to a ward in the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) after she tested positive, and stayed there for two days. She has since made a full recovery.

She has agreed to participate in a research programme on the long-term effects of Zika, carried out by the CDC, where she has to return to the centre for blood tests six times over the next two years.

The good thing arising from the spread of Zika, Ms Loo said, was that it has helped raise awareness of the need to control mosquito breeding grounds, which would help to fight dengue as well.

Madam Ratnawati Mohd Yusoff, whose husband Mohammed Firdaus Lim was among the first 40 individuals in Sims Drive diagnosed with Zika last month, said they take extra precautions now, even though they moved to Upper Serangoon last Saturday.

“Every time after he showers, I will spray the repellent on him and paste one mosquito patch on his clothing, too,” said the 52-year-old. Mr Firdaus, 44, is bedridden after suffering a stroke.

“I make sure I do it on myself, too. I mean if he gets bitten, it would already be difficult. But if I’m bitten, then it will be more difficult. Who will take care of him then when I’m sick?”

She added: “With this new house … the Zika problem becomes less to think about (but) I cannot say that moving away will make me impervious to mosquito bites. I still have to take precautions.”

Source: TODAY Online

September 27, 2016
Law Grads Hit The Barriers

The dream of becoming a lawyer helped her persevere through law school’s tough curriculum.

Miss Meryl (not her real name), with her eyes set on a future in the legal industry, has been applying to as many law firms as she could for the past year. She started doing so even before graduating.

But she might now have to shelve that dream.

The 24-year-old fresh graduate told The New Paper that all her applications were unsuccessful.

Miss Meryl, who graduated from the UK’s University of Bristol in June, said: “I can only keep searching and if I find a training contract, then it is an opportunity to train.

“But if I don’t, I will need to tread another path.”

She has been unemployed since graduation, but she is not alone.

Law school graduates are finding it hard to land a training contract these days, resulting in what some are calling an “oversupply” of new lawyers.

Like the other law graduates and students we spoke to for this story, Miss Meryl declined to be identified as she was afraid that speaking out about her situation might jeopardise her chances at landing a job.

Training contracts, which typically last for six months, are an entry requirement to the Bar.

Some law students are awarded these contracts when they apply for jobs at law firms after graduation, while others receive one during an internship.

Another recent law graduate, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, said: “There just are not many jobs for us to go around. The number of law students keeps on increasing but the number of training contracts does not.”

In the last five years, the number of new lawyers who have been called to the Bar has almost doubled.

In 2011, 257 law graduates were called to the Bar. During this year’s Mass Call, which was held late last month, the number was 509.

At the event, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said this oversupply meant that of the 650 fresh law graduates here last year, around 100 did not receive training contracts.

Some firms retain only about one-third or half of their original intake of trainees, he added.

This challenge in securing training contracts – and consequentially, jobs in the legal industry – has prompted some law graduates to tweak their plans.

One such graduate is Mr Dennis, who declined to reveal his full name.

Mr Dennis, who graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a law degree last year, waited nearly 14 months before he was offered a job “with the right prospects and in the right company”.

He turned to yoga, which he has been practising for eight years, in the meantime.

He said: “I worked as a yoga teacher for about 11 months because I needed to survive.

APPLICATIONS

“Even then, I sent out a good 20 applications but none returned with a positive offer. The only one or two firms I heard from could not offer me a decent salary.”

Not everyone will be as lucky as Mr Dennis, and the fear of not securing training contracts has prompted many law students to take up multiple internships.

A second-year NUS law student, who declined to be named, said: “I will be applying to as many firms as I can during the holidays.”

But he added that there is a limit to how many internships one can go through. “It is only feasible to do two or three internships as it usually lasts four weeks.”

In a bid to solve the problem, it was announced at the Mass Call that a new committee will be set up to review the system by which new lawyers start their careers.

The committee will examine how law firms offer training contracts to fresh law graduates, make decisions to retain them, and later nurture them.

But it might be too late for Miss Meryl, who said she is getting increasingly discouraged by her failure to land a training contract.

“If I fail to do so, then I will have to choose an alternative path.”

Law graduates should be more flexible: Experts

The issue of law graduates being unable to find jobs is a multifaceted one, according to experts.

Some believe that it might boil down to the graduates being “selective”.

Mr Rajan Supramaniam, managing director at Hilborne Law LLC, told The New Paper: “It is not that there are no jobs available, it is just that some of them preferably want an area of their interest.”

Mr Rajan, who has been in the law industry for more than 16 years, says there are always jobs available for graduates, but only if they manage their expectations.

“In some cases, graduates have their own criteria,” says Mr Rajan.

“Generally – if they are free and easy, if they are not selective – they should be able to find a place.”

Head lawyer at Gloria James-Civetta, Miss Gloria James, urges new lawyers to “exercise patience”.

The legal industry specialist, who has more than 20 years of experience, says: “Show that you are willing to learn even if it means taking a pay cut.”

In 2014, Law Minister K. Shanmugam highlighted the possibility of an excess of lawyers as more students pursued a law degree both here and overseas. Last year, the Ministry of Law cut the number of recognised British law schools to 11, from 19.

Some saw this as a step to help ease the oversupply.

OPPORTUNITIES

Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said that while overseas schools have been a “contributing factor” to the increase in the number of lawyers, the issue is more than about where a degree comes from.

He said: “It is no more about earning a law degree in hard times, but more about showing what one has learnt from the opportunities of pursuing a law degree.”

When asked about the overseas schools, Miss James said: “It is all fair in love and war, so this should not be a stumbling block or an excuse.”

A slower economic growth is also seen as a cause for the oversupply of lawyers.

“People are careful on costings – they are watching their purse,” said Miss James.

“It is only natural for such reactions when the market is bad.”

But Prof Tan said that “it is not all doom and gloom.”

He told TNP: “There will be upturns as well. Even with the economy slowing down and work for law firms declining, it is also about gritting one’s teeth and making sure that one is ready to ride the upturn when it arrives.”

Mr Rajan said: “At this point of time, the economy is bad. Business environment is bad and graduates needs to be a bit more practical in their job hunting.”

To him, the way forward is to continually put in effort to land a job and gain experience first.

“There are always options. Do attachments, internships, look at temporary jobs. Learn first, even if the offer is not attractive,” he advised.

“Even if they do not get a job immediately, do not get disheartened.

“They can all secure a place – it is just a matter of time.”

Source: The New Paper

September 27, 2016
18-Year-Old Uber Passenger Dies After Accident On Seletar Expressway

A teenage girl has died after the private-hire car she was riding in ran into a lorry on the Seletar Expressway (SLE).

Police said that the accident happened along the SLE towards the Bukit Timah Expressway, and involved a car, a lorry and a van.

They collided near the Woodlands Avenue 2 exit at about 3.40am on Sunday (Sept 25). None were trapped in the vehicles, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

The van driver and two car passengers were conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat hospital, police said.

The Straits Times understands that the van’s driver, a 22-year-old man, was conveyed unconscious.

One of the car passengers, Ms Goh Pei Ling, 18, has died of her injuries.

The other passenger was her sister-in-law, who just held her wedding with Ms Goh’s brother last Friday, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

They were returning to Chua Chu Kang from Pasir Ris in a Uber vehicle, the Chinese evening daily said.

Her sister-in-law, 20, has taken to social media to express her grief and guilt at not being able to help save Ms Goh.

Police investigation are ongoing.

Source: The Straits Times

September 27, 2016