Tag: Singaporeans

Permanent Balloting Ban If You Sell Your NDP Tickets

The price for getting caught selling National Day Parade (NDP) tickets is now a permanent ban from being able to ballot again. Previously, the penalty was a ban of three years.

Brigadier-General Melvyn Ong, chairman of the NDP executive committee, said in a statement on Tuesday: “Monetising the privilege to be part of the nation’s birthday goes against (its) celebratory spirit… Those found to be involved in such activities will be barred from balloting for future NDPs.”

He added that the committee is working with online sale sites, including Carousell and eBay.

Mindef declined to give more details, such as whether tickets already sold would be deemed void.

About 100,000 NDP tickets are available this year, for a preview on Aug 1 and the actual show on Aug 9 – set to be the biggest ever to celebrate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. The free tickets were allocated via an electronic ballot system.

An online Straits Times report on Sunday said NDP tickets were selling on mobile marketplace Carousell for up to $400 each for the actual day, but such posts were removed following quick action from the site. Two listings this week to sell NDP rehearsal tickets were removed within 30 minutes of being uploaded.

Replying to queries from The Straits Times, a Carousell spokesman said it has received an e-mail from the the NDP committee and has “responded accordingly”.

She added: “We have already removed all listings and our team is keeping a close watch on new listings… Should a seller continue to disregard our guidelines, we will suspend their account.”

She declined to reveal the number of listings removed so far.

A Carousell user’s listing selling a pair of tickets to the July 4 rehearsal was removed soon after it was uploaded yesterday, but he still managed to offload the tickets to his friend for more than $100.

The seller declined to be named, but revealed that his rehearsal tickets came from helping out in the NDP as part of the Army.

He said: “My family didn’t want to go, and I have already seen two NDPs, so I decided to sell them. I did not know it was not allowed.”

Ebay could not be reached for comment.

There are buyers willing to fork out for the tickets, despite some high prices being asked. A potential buyer, who wanted to be known as Justin, said he was willing to pay up to $150 for a pair of tickets, as a surprise gift for his wife.

“After two failed attempts at balloting, I’ve decided I would stand a better chance… buying from touts,” said Justin. “Selling NDP tickets is not something I condone but I am left with no alternatives.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

July 2, 2015
Singaporean In Induced Coma After Holiday Accident In Perth

A Singaporean woman was put into an induced coma after she was seriously injured in a road accident near the wine resort town of Margaret River, about 280km south of Perth in Western Australia.

Miss Heidi Ang, 25, was driving a rented car when it was involved in an accident with a four-wheel-drive last Friday afternoon.

Also in the car were her friends — Mr Lim Zi Jie, who sat next to her in the front, and Miss Huang Huifang, who was in the back seat. They escaped with minor injuries.

Miss Huang told The New Paper on Wednesday that firefighters had to rescue Miss Ang who was trapped in the driver’s seat.

She was then flown to Royal Perth Hospital by a rescue helicopter in a serious condition, a Western Australia Police spokesman said.

Miss Ang’s older brother, Mr Wilmer Ang, said she had sustained three broken ribs and brain damage and was put into an induced coma until Sunday and has since made progress in her recovery.

Miss Huang regretted that their holiday had ended in tragic circumstances, but she was also relieved that all of them survived the crash.

She was also optimistic about Miss Ang recovery, saying: “I am sure she will be recover quickly. She is a strong girl.”

Source: www.tnp.sg

July 2, 2015
N Ganesan, The Man Behind The Kallang Roar, Dies Aged 82

N Ganesan, the man widely credited as the driving force behind Singapore football’s golden years of the 1970s, died yesterday morning.

He was 82.

He suffered a stroke in March 2011, which left him bedridden and confined to the Good Shepherd Loft nursing home in Bukit Timah.

He collapsed yesterday while having breakfast around 7.45am. Paramedics later failed to resuscitate him.

Ganesan, who was divorced and has no children, worked as a successful lawyer but is best known for his time as chairman of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) from 1974 to 1981.

He made a bold decision to switch Singapore’s “home” games in the Malaysia Cup from the 10,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium to the 55,000-seater National Stadium in Kallang, despite naysayers predicting the crowds would not turn up.

But they did, and Singapore, backed by the Kallang Roar, reached seven Malaysia Cup finals in the eight years he was in charge, winning two, in 1977 and 1980.

The national team also did well on the international stage, reaching the play-off final of the 1980 pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, beating the likes of China and North Korea before losing to giants Iran.

Local footballers like Samad Allapitchay,  R Suria Murthi, Quah Kim Song, Dollah Kassim and Fandi Ahmad, to name just a few, became household names.

Midfielder Suria, 57, said: “Even though he was busy as a lawyer, he would come down to Jalan Besar to watch the national team train every evening.

“He was very, very passionate, and he was one of the best officials we ever had.

“He’d go out of his way for the players. He would do anything for football. He was a great man.”

Striker Quah, 63, added: “He was charismatic, and walked the talk.

“He was not the type to just sit in the office all day, he often personally made sure every small detail was right.

“He even helped some players who had financial difficulty, out of his own pocket.”

Defender Samad, who captained both Malaysia Cup-winning teams, praised Ganesan’s personable character. The 66-year-old said: “Over the years, many officials have come and gone, but Mr Gani was the most passionate. And he just had a way with people.

“Once, Uncle Choo (Seng Quee, legendary national team coach) walked out of a training session and said he would not coach us again, after a misunderstanding with some players.

“Mr Gani was the one that drove to his place, chatted with him for four or five hours, and talked him into returning.

“That was how he was. You find it easier to talk to Mr Gani than anyone else. He really listens to you.”

A former goalkeeper for the Singapore Indians team, Ganesan also made a difference at local club level, revamping the National Football League from a bloated 118 clubs to a strong 30.

He helped create the Lion City Cup, an Under-16 tournament that unearthed talent like Fandi, and subsequently became the model for Fifa’s U-16 World Cup.

Ganesan was awarded the Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat) during the 1978 National Day Awards, and he also served as legal adviser to the Asian Football Confenderation (AFC) for almost a decade.

Former AFC general secretary Dato Peter Vellapan, who led Asia’s football body for three decades, hailed Ganesan’s reforms.

“He rewrote the history of Singapore football with his leadership,” Vellapan, 79, told TNP.

“He was very honest, transparent, and goal-oriented. He wanted to raise Singapore football to be one of the best in Asia.

“His commitment to improving Singapore football was very sincere. These days, many go into football for selfish reasons. But he was committed, dedicated.

“His passing is a great loss to me, as he was a dear friend, and to Singapore football.”

Source: www.tnp.sg

July 2, 2015
MND: AHPETC’s Accounts Exacerbate Concerns

A day after the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) submitted its overdue financial statements and report for FY2013, the Ministry of National Development (MND) issued a response, saying that the documents reinforced its concerns about the town council’s state of financial affairs.

The MND, noting that the statement and report — submitted on Tuesday (June 30) — were 10 months late and that AHPETC required repeated reminders, said it will study the report. But it pointed out the auditors engaged by AHPETC had disclaimers of opinion in their report — the third consecutive year the town council has received qualified statements from its independent auditors.

Audit Alliance, the auditors appointed by AHPETC, had flagged eight areas of concern, some of them similar to issues raised by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) in its report on AHPETC accounts for FY12/13.

The auditors found that there was no segregation of duty between the person certifying invoices from FM Solution and Services (FMSS) for Managing Agent services, and the person approving related payment vouchers. AHPETC’s deputy general manager, who is a shareholder and director of FMSS, certified 12 invoices received from FMSS for Managing Agent services totalling S$2.1 million, and approved the related payment vouchers. The total value of related party transactions increased to S$8.5 million in FY13, from S$6.8 million in FY12.

The auditor also found that in the case of three tenders called, the Managing Agent failed to declare whether the specifications gave preference to any particular tenderer.

There was also no documentation on whether the tender specifications were approved by the Tenders and Contracts Committee of the town council.

AHPETC also breached the Town Council Financial Rules by failing to make transfers into the bank account of the sinking funds as required. Its transfers were up to 15 months late and errors were discovered in the computation only after the AGO audit.

And it paid for town improvement expenses out of its sinking fund, which is not allowed under the Town Councils Act.

The auditor also said it could not verify whether certain items in the accounts were accurate, such as the FY13 opening balance, and the completeness of the town council’s liabilities as at March 31 2014.

All town councils must submit their audited financial statements, auditors’ reports and annual reports to the MND by August 31 each year. These are then tabled to Parliament and a copy of the audited financial statements and any report made by the town council’s auditor is also forwarded to the Auditor-General.

The MND noted that AHPETC went from an annual operating surplus of S$1.1 million in FY11 to a deficit of S$1.53 million in FY12 and a deficit of S$2.01 million in FY13. The town council also previously understated the annual operating deficit in FY12 by half.

“AHPETC’s financial position has consistently deteriorated between FY11 and FY13, even though the (town council) received full government grants from MND during these three years,” the MND said. “AHPETC’s latest financial statements and reports reinforce MND’s existing concern about the (town council’s) state of financial affairs.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 2, 2015
Davinder Singh: Case To Seek ‘Strong Damages’ From Roy Ngerng

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s lawyer made the case for substantial damages to be awarded today (July 1), asking the court to express “in the strongest terms” its indignation at blogger Roy Ngerng’s conduct in defaming their client.

The case stands out for the “depth and intensity” of Mr Ngerng’s malice towards Mr Lee and his resolve to damage Mr Lee’s reputation,
said Mr Davinder Singh in his opening statement tendered to court today at the start of a three-day hearing on how much the blogger has to pay in damages. “The case for a very high award of damages, including aggravated damages, is compelling.”

A High Court ruled in November last year that Mr Ngerng had defamed Mr Lee in a May 2014 blog posting alleging misappropriation of money paid by Singaporeans to the Central Provident Fund. Today, citing a previous defamation case where the Singapore Democratic Party was ordered to pay Mr Lee Kuan Yew S$280,000 in general and aggravated damages — he was then Minister Mentor in the Prime Minister’s Office and also the chairman of the GIC — Mr Singh said: “In this instance, the Plaintiff was defamed in his capacity as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore and the Chairman of GIC, and this should therefore warrant a higher award of damages.

“The maintenance of the standing of the Plaintiff as the Prime Minister of Singapore and as Chairman of GIC is critical, and the public perception of his integrity will affect his effectiveness to govern and oversee GIC.”

Mr Singh also said: “From the very first, the Defendant set out to wound. He knowingly and maliciously published a false and vicious libel towards the Plaintiff to inflict maximum injury. He then cynically capitalised on, and continues to exploit, that libel and the ensuing lawsuit to promote himself as a champion of free speech.”

For instance, the 34-year-old blogger would have pulled the offending article from his blog if he was contrite,
he said. Instead, he posted the letter of demand sent to him on his blog to draw more attention to the article, and wrote an accompanying article to “style himself as a martyr”.

In his affidavit to the court,
Mr Lee said Mr Ngerng made a “very serious and grave allegation”, which has “caused me distress and embarrassment”. He added that Mr Ngerng has “opportunistically used the libel in a calculated and cynical manner” to promote himself and cause further distress and injury to him.

But Mr Ngerng is seeking the court to either award no damages, or award minimal or nominal general damages and/or not award any aggravated damages. In his court statement, Mr Ngerng, who paid S$29,000 in total costs to Mr Lee for the legal proceedings up to the summary judgment issued against him, said his case can be analysed in two other ways beyond the legal or technical factors affecting the assessment of damages he has to pay.

The first relates to “the consequences of damages to free speech and democracy”, he said. The second is at the “socio-legal level”, where “we consider whether Singapore should move towards a more graceful society when its citizens share the same concerns with the Government in the welfare of Singaporeans and betterment of Singapore”.

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 2, 2015