Tag: Singaporeans

Wong Kan Seng: Singapore Not Immune To Threat Of Radicalisation

SINGAPORE: Former Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said there is no immunity to the threat of radicalisation for any society, including Singapore.

Speaking at a seminar by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies on Tuesday (Nov 18), Mr Wong said that the “vigilance of the security services must ultimately be augmented by the vigilance of the society itself.”

He said groups like Islamic State (IS) are savvy in their use of social media to propagate radical rhetoric and recruit fighters to their cause. He also urged governments in the region to step up efforts in the sharing of information and intelligence.

Mr Wong said: “13 years on from 9/11 and Singapore’s discovery of the regional JI (Jemaah Islamiyah) network, we are none the safer from the terrorism threat. The terrorism threat has not diminished, but has evolved and adapted to a more hostile security environment. It has also become more diffused with the rise of the phenomenon of self-radicalised or ‘lone wolf’ terrorists.”

He felt that the conflict in Syria and and the IS have given new impetus to existing regional jihadist groups like JI and the Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT), which have sent their members to Syria to fight.

Mr Wong said the manner in which foreign fighters flock to Syria reminds him of how Muslims around the world had similarly been drawn to fight in the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s.

He added: “The Soviet-Afghan war not only led to the creation of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation, but also a global fraternity of terrorist brotherhood. Many governments anticipate that the Syrian conflict will likewise lead to the emergence of a new generation of mujahidin and the perpetuation of the terrorism menace for many years to come.”

Mr Wong, who was also Minister for Home Affairs, recounted how Singapore had taken a multi-pronged approach to counter the threat of jihadist terrorism.

“Apart from investigations and exchange of intelligence with foreign security services, the Government held closed-door national dialogues with religious and community leaders to share our concerns on the terrorism threat and how we must not let it destroy our Singapore’s social cohesion,” he stated.

Mr Wong said there was also the awareness to go beyond the detention of JI members to counter the deviant religious teachings. A core group of religious teachers formed the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) to provide religious counselling for the JI detainees and their families.

To this end, Mr Wong said that for some “hardcore” detainees, results so far have not been positive, and that they will only be released once they are rehabilitated.

Overall, he said that while Singapore has been successful in keeping the terrorism threat at bay, the general public must continue to remain vigilant and stay united in the event of an incident.

“The irony is, the more successful we are in our counter-terrorism efforts, the more the urgency and cogency of the terrorism threat will diminish in the public’s consciousness,” said Mr Wong. “We need every resident to be vigilant against this threat. Should we one day be unable to stop a bomb from exploding or a murderous act by an ISIL supporter in Singapore, I hope Singaporeans will have the resilience to overcome the attack, cope with the crisis and maintain our social cohesion.”

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

November 19, 2014
IOC Opens Door For Joint Hosting Bids From Countries

LAUSANNE: International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach revealed on Tuesday (Nov 18) that the IOC were willing to consider joint bids between countries and cities in order to make hosting an Olympic Games more accessible.

“Under certain conditions, mainly for reasons of geography and sustainable development, it might be possible to organise some events in other cities other than the host city, or even in other countries,” Bach told the press.

“If a city says ‘we don’t have enough facilities for this sport, in this place, but there are some in a close city’ why not? In the Winter Games it already exists. If two countries share a mountain, then why not share a bid?” he continued.

“In the Summer Games, it is more about small neighbouring countries where distances are close. It is about giving smaller countries the opportunity to organise Games.”

The plan which it is also hoped will help reduce bidding costs are among 40 recommendations which will be voted on at a meeting of IOC members in Monaco on Dec 8 and 9.

Another recommendation revealed at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne on Tuesday was to cap the number of sports and athletes, while giving a new sport or discipline an invitation to participate in the Games every four years.

“These 40 recommendations are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle,” explained Bach, a former Olympic gold medallist in fencing from Germany. “When you put them together, a picture emerges that shows the IOC safeguarding the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and strengthening sport in society.

“We still want to limit the number of Olympic events but within this framework, we want to give more flexibility to sports which want to become Olympic,” Bach continued. “The Olympic Games mustn’t become bigger, but more diverse.”

The recommendation on reducing costs for bidding also includes cutting the number of presentations that are allowed by bidding cities and “providing a significant financial contribution from the IOC”.

The IOC also want to have an “invitation phase” for bidding during which cities will be “advised about the opportunities this new procedure offers”. The recommendations were announced to a round table of athletes, many of whom contributed to the ‘Olympic Agenda 2020’ process.

“In the case of the Summer Olympics, it could be small countries with short distances. Sometimes the distances within a country are less important than in a metropolis of 15 million people,” said Bach. “The host contract is always signed with a city but in reality it would be the whole country that would be the partner.”

Occasionally, the IOC has allowed co-organisation, particularly in the case of the Winter Games, among a host city and ski resorts, or for sailing events, often relocated during the Summer Olympics

– AFP/de

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

November 19, 2014
PAP Government Giving Free Scholarships to Filipinos!

The PAP government is giving out scholarships specifically for Pinoys in Philippines to come to Singapore to study in our local universities (NUS, NTU, SMU). Each award is for three to four years of tertiary study and covers return air fare, full tuition, an accommodation allowance and a living allowance of S$4,300 (around P150,000) per annum. Applicants of the scholarship must be Filipino citizens with excellent academic records and a good command of English. A recipient of the scholarship may not concurrently hold any other scholarship, fellowship, grant or award without prior approval of the Singaporean government. (Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/114414/singapore-giving-out-scholarships/).

Except for Medicine, Dentistry, Architecture and Law, all other disciplines are open to recipients of the scholarship. As Medicine, Dentistry and Law are elite courses, the Filipino scholars will instead be competing with average Singaporeans who usually take arts, science, business or engineering courses. It is therefore hard to imagine that most Singaporeans will not notice the privileges given to these special Pinoys.

The PAP government seems to be keen on investing in Filipino talent development even though they do not even serve National Service. It is also stated in the terms of the scholarship that “the scholars are expected to return to their respective countries at the end of their studies to contribute to the development of their nations”. That means there is NO BOND so it is not required that these Pinoys serve NS or contribute to Singapore. The scholarship appears to be a charitable act by the PAP government towards Filipinos.

Moreover, it has been revealed that many Filipinos have fake qualifications from universities like Recto University (http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/17/world/asia/philippines-recto/index.html). With its failure to scrutinize foreign talents like Anoop Shankar, can NUS be totally sure that these Filipinos are talented?

There was also no attempt to disguise the fact that the scholarship was provided by government agencies in Singapore. The following was stated:

“For eligibility criteria, terms of award and application procedures, applicants may go to the website: http://www.mfa.gov.sg.scp.

Completed applications must be submitted to the Singapore Embassy in Manila by Dec. 10. Applicants are encouraged to use the online application portal, http://singaporescholarship.scp.gov.sg., in addition to submitting the hard copies.”

So if you’re a Pinoy hoping to live out the Singapore Dream and have a successful career, please go ahead and apply.

I feel angry that the Singapore government is using taxpayers’ money to fund the development of a bunch of Pinoys. It shouldn’t be totally surprising, considering that we are already paying $25000 just to teach one PRC officer English.

As a Singaporean, I am extremely disappointed with the PAP government for neglecting its own citizens while putting foreigners first. Many of our local Singaporeans are not on scholarships in local universities and they are burdened with a huge debt upon graduation. Several other Singaporeans, mainly poly graduates have to work part-time and pay higher fees to study at private universities because they couldn’t get into local universities. And it is not because their grades are bad; it’s because there aren’t enough vacancies available for Singaporeans. Finally, there’s the group of Singaporeans whose families have paid enormous amounts to send them abroad just so they can have a quality university education. The vast majority of Singaporeans are not on scholarships even though they are keen to get a degree and contribute to Singapore’s development.

Why must we compromise our own human capital development just to do charity for third world countries?

Muhd Hafiz

TRS Contributor

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

November 19, 2014
Khidmat Cemerlang SLTC Mohd Fahmi Aliman Diiktiraf SAF

KESUNGGUHAN dan kecekapan Leftenan-Kolonel Kanan (SLTC) Mohd Fahmi Aliman berkhidmat dalam Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF), semasa bertugas baik di dalam mahupun di luar negara, diakui.

Lantaran keberkesanannya memikul pelbagai tugas sepanjang berkhidmat dengan SAF, beliau dianugerahkan Pingat Kepujian oleh Kementerian Pertahanan (Mindef) dalam Anugerah Hari Kebangsaan.

Sejumlah 81 Pingat Kepujian, 114 Pingat Kecekapan dan 415 Pingat Perkhidmatan Bakti Setia diberikan kepada anggota tentera dan bukan tentera.

Seramai 14 kakitangan menerima kedua-dua Pingat Kepujian/Kecekapan dan Pingat Khidmat Bakti Setia.

Seramai 596 kakitangan Mindef/SAF diiktiraf dalam Anugerah Hari Kebangsaan tahun ini.

Menteri Kedua Pertahanan, Encik Chan Chun Sing, serta Menteri Negara (Pertahanan), Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, menghadiri majlis tersebut di Mindef minggu lalu.

Ketika ditemui, SLTC Mohd Fahmi, 42 tahun, berkata beliau berbesar hati sumbangannya diiktiraf.

Beliau menyertai SAF 22 tahun lalu kerana ingin “menyentuh kehidupan orang ramai” dan menyumbang kepada masyarakat.

Dalam tempoh khidmatnya, beliau antara lain mengetuai Batalion Pengawal yang meraih anugerah Unit Infantri Terbaik pada 2009.

Pada 2011, beliau menjadi pegawai SAF Melayu/Islam pertama menjadi Komander Perbarisan Hari Kebangsaan sejak 2000.

Pengalamannya tidak terbatas di dalam negara sahaja.

Beliau dikerah ke Aceh pada 2005 dan Afghanistan pada 2012.

Beliau terlibat dalam pasukan yang menyumbang kepada pelucutan senjata, demobilisasi dan integrasi semula Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) ke dalam masyarakat Aceh.

Di Afghanistan, beliau bertugas sebagai perancang strategik di Ibu Pejabat Pasukan Bantuan Keselamatan Antarabangsa (ISAF).

“Setiap pengalaman yang saya raih mengasah kecekapan saya dan mendorong saya agar terus menyumbang kepada SAF,” ujarnya.

Apabila dikerah ke luar negara, beliau berjauhan daripada keluarga selama enam bulan.

“Cabaran terbesar adalah membahagikan masa antara keluarga dengan kerjaya. Saya bertuah mendapat sokongan keluarga dan isteri penyabar,” ujar bapa empat anak berusia empat hingga 17 tahun itu.

Isterinya, Cik Rohana Salleh, adalah guru sekolah menengah.

SLTC Mohd Fahmi turut dirangsang pasukannya dan berpegang pada tiga ciri ketua yang cemerlang.

“Kepercayaan, kehormatan, serta memperkasakan bakat dalam pasukan penting.

“Di SAF, saya dibimbing oleh pegawai kanan dan diberi peluang mengembangkan kemahiran,” ujar SLTC Mohd Fahmi.

Melalui SAF, beliau diberi peluang melanjutkan pelajaran hingga meraih ijazah Sarjana Muda dalam Kejuruteraan Elektrikal daripada Universiti Liverpool pada 1999.

Source: www.beritaharian.sg

November 18, 2014
10 Things To Love And Hate About A Government Job

Author’s Note

My interviewee once joined a government agency straight out from university, excited at the prospects of being able to help shape the future of Singapore. He left the organisation a couple of years later, feeling jaded but also thankful for the things he has learnt and contributed to. Following that, he swung to the other extreme to do sales in a fast-paced private MNC environment. Having been on both sides now, he’d like to share his candid thoughts about working in the government.

Note that his experience may differ from others in the public sector, and the culture differs between various government bodies too. This article hence seeks not meant to be a factual generalisation but rather a personal observation based on his limited time there. For ease of reading, it will henceforth be written in the first-person.

“Not for me now; maybe at retirement”

“Will you consider work in the government sector?”

This is the question I posed to 3 fellow Singaporeans recently, all of whom replied with a similar answer, “Not now, but perhaps later when I want a slower pace of life, or if I’m about to retire”. For manySingaporeans, a government job seems to have a strong stereotype of being slow-paced and bureaucratic. But a government position is typically well respected in most countries worldwide; you’d think that this will hold true especially in Singapore which has, undeniably, one of the most efficient government organisation in the world. Why then are so many locals dissing at the suggestion of a government job? Being there, I do agree that there’s some parts that can be better, but to be fair, it’s not all bad.

To set the record straight, allow me to share the 10 things I love and hate about a government job.

5 things I hate about a government job

1. Budget papers and long procurement processes

We have to start the list with the dreaded budget paper of course! To carry out any projects that require spending anywhere above $3000, you will have to write an official budget paper to justify the expenditure to get it approved. A moderate budget requires at least 2 to 3 levels of approval, and the process is dragged if one of the signatories is away. It’s common to have budget papers thrown back for better justification or re-wording (sometimes it’s down to grammatical errors!). It sometimes makes you feel like you’re submitting your communications 101 homework.

Once budget is approved, you’ll still need to launch a public invitation-to-quote on Gebiz*, and evaluate which vendor is the best. The entire whole process takes anywhere between 3 weeks to 3 months, which is a long time (it could take longer with tender processes if much bigger budgets are needed). The entire process is painfully slow and frustrating, and you’d constantly wonder why you’re wasting so much time and effort on the procurement process rather than implementing the project.

*Gebiz is Singapore’s government electronic procurement system.

2. Endless meetings (and minutes to write)

There’s a huge number of meetings that government officers are pulled into; there will always be multiple agendas related to your organisation’s industry that requires an inter-departmental or whole-of-government approach, but there’s only so few officers. Within my first few months in the job, I was already ‘arrowed’ to participate in various task force and inter-governmental discussions. Many a times, I was questioning why I’m part of the discussion, and it’s common to see some officers typing away on their emails instead of participating in discussions.

Then there’s minutes. Most meetings, both internal and external, require someone to document minutes or notes. There is typically a standard template to adhere to, and you may need to have to have your minutes vetted or approved. Writing minutes in this way, in my personal opinion, is a chore and a waste of time. While it’s important to note down key discussion points and next steps, a more efficient way is to send everyone a simple summary email with follow-up items.

3. Hierarchical… and some bosses still expect to be served

While the hierarchical structures are slowly giving way to modern, open-office concept, it may take another full generation to fully change this. There’re many stories of officers being told not to skip the chain of command, or being blamed for approaching another department head directly. I personally had been stopped by the Personal Assistant of my director when I wanted to knock on his door for a quick chat. I didn’t expect to have to schedule a time through the Personal Assistant to meet my own boss..

4. Urgency please?

The most common stereotype of working in government seems to be that things move slowly. It takes forever to start something (remember the budget papers and internal approval processes?), and it takes even longer to get everyone on board to implement a project quickly. Everyone has their own projects on priority, and your project seems to always be on the backburner. It takes numerous discussions for all stakeholders to agree on something, which would already have taken weeks if not months. If you’re a young officer eager to make your mark and shape the future of Singapore, I’m afraid you’ll have to be extremely patient as your enthusiasm is most likely to wear off before any actual work gets done due to the many layers of approvals required.

A side note to this is the way remuneration works in the government: one is sometimes “punished” for doing fast and effective work by receiving more work. On the other hand, if you do what’s expected well enough, you will enjoy a long stable career. Nothing fanciful, but it works. Maybe that explains the lack of urgency. To be fair, this is a common problem in many organisations, but in the government it’s especially prevalent, since hires and fires don’t happen as rapidly, and profits aren’t the only bottom line.

Maybe another explanation for the lack of urgency, is…

5. Strategy overdo

Strategy is a big word thrown out often too many times in the government, though the frequency varies among various organisations. While the job of the government is to develop strategic policies, it becomes frustrating when projects are always stuck at the strategy phase, or when long-term strategies change, ironically, every year. I’ve seen how strategic plans are revised multiple times a year to the point where employees roll their eyes when they hear the big word. It is especially frustrating when your personal performance indicators and projects are part of an approved strategy and is now on hold because management is re-looking into the strategy. With this in place, any form of urgency gets squelched for practicality: let’s go slow and see if they change their mind, again.

5 things I love about a government job

Its not all gloom and doom though, and here are the 5 things I loved about my time in the government.

6. Strategic thinking skills

Ironically, getting involved in strategy work also means that you get to develop your strategic thinking skills. Since any projects or policies you implement will involve taxpayers’ money, you have to make sure that it’s sustainable, fits into the bigger Singapore growth roadmap and pays off in the long run. While it can be frustrating at times, it did force me to think strategically all the time, and over time, it developed me to be more strategic, and think in a big-picture manner. Even the dreaded exercise of writing budget papers trained me to be focused in my thoughts, giving them clarity.

7. Leaving a legacy and making an impact on society

The impact you make in a government body benefits the society you live in. You’d feel good knowing that you’ve contributed back to society in a big way, having satisfied the inner desire to make a difference to the community. You’re not just working towards the bottomline of a company, but sacrificing your time and efforts for the greater good. There’s not many other workplaces where you can say the same thing, and it is deeply fulfilling and meaningful.

If you are in the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), you will be opening industries and attracting MNCs that will employ thousands of people. If you are part of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), you will be helping to build a futuristic smart nation. If you are in the National Environment Agency (NEA), you will be creating a sustainable environment for us and our children. And these are just three of the many agencies around. I once established a strategic partnership (during my days in the government sector) that brought revenue contribution to local businesses, and I felt proud knowing that it had contributed to the economy of the country, akin to leaving an important legacy behind.

8. Involved in latest events and community news

Being the champion of an industry (eg. Tourism Board for tourism) also means that you get the first chance to experience new stuff. If you like to be seen as the hipster who’s been to the River Safari first or launch of the National Gallery, then being part of the government is for you.

9. Family-oriented, good benefits, and lunch culture

The public sector is a family oriented environment in general, with generous benefits and family-oriented policies. Leave entitlements in particular trump many private sector companies, which is why it is the pro-baby workplace as most people know it as. It is also not uncommon for employees to take no-pay-leave for sabbaticals, or exam leaves for studies. And on the compensation side, there’s always the sweet 13th month bonus every year and the occasional mid year bonuses.

There’s typically a strong local (food) culture as well (you can trust Singaporeans to love their food!). I always look forward to lunching together in groups, sometimes even travelling out far for the best food. There’s typically no strict lunch hours, and there’ll always be celebratory meals for new joiners or birthday colleagues.

10. Gain global outlook and CEO exposure

Depending on your role and employer, public officers do enjoy quite a bit of opportunities to travel overseas for work. These could be market study trips, meetings or representing Singapore in overseas conferences and seminars. You’ll be exposed to international best practices, different cultures and they all help you develop a global outlook.

As a young, inexperienced employee in many other companies, you may not get a chance to interface with senior leaders in other organisations. However, because you represent the government of Singapore, senior business leaders are willing to meet you for various reasons such as gaining tax concessions for locating regional HQs here or to obtain government grants for their businesses. With the government’s trust in the abilities of its young officers, you could use the experience to develop into a well-rounded professional. For example, EDB is especially known for exposing young officers to senior management leaders of MNCs.

Concluding thoughts

When people ask me what’s the difference between my previous government role and the current private sector role, I have lots of mixed feelings. When I was in my prior role, I was feeling worn-out (and sometimes cynical) by the long drawn processes. I wanted to go faster and do more, but I felt hampered by bureaucracy. But it wasn’t all bad. In retrospect, I realised that the training and exposure I had helped me develop very useful skills that will carry me far. And I do sometimes miss the noble mission that every government officer is set on – the mission to create a better home for us all.

Every sector has it’s good and bad side. I sure have grumbles about working in the government sector, as with many others I believe. But I do admit too that it can be a great place for professionals to develop into an all-rounder and do meaningful work for their country at the same time.

Look beyond the stereotypes associated with a government job, and you may perhaps find your dream job in this sector.

*Article first appeared on www.17wakinghours.com

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

November 18, 2014