Friday, October 30, 2015

An investigative interview: Singapore 50 years after independence (45th St.Gallen Symposium)


Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was recently interviewed by Stephen Sackur (Presenter, BBC HARDtalk) at the 45th St. Gallen Symposium. In a sometimes hard-hitting exchange, DPM Tharman shared his views on 'Singapore 50 Years After Independence'.

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Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Finance of Singapore

Born in 1957. Tharman Shanmugaratnam obtained undergraduate and masters degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and Cambridge University. He earned a Master in public administration at Harvard University, where he received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellow Award.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam spent much of his earlier professional life at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Singapores central bank and integrated financial regulator, where he was Chief Executive before his entry into politics in 2001. Having served in the economic and the education ministry, he was appointed Minister for Education in 2003. Before stepping down as Minister for Education in 2008, Tharman Shanmugaratnam was named Minister for Finance in 2007.

In addition to his political career, Tharman Shanmugaratnam is Deputy Chairman of the National Research Foundation and serves on the boards of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and the MAS. He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), which seeks to uplift educational aspirations and strengthen resilience in the local Indian community. In addition, he is Chairman of the Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies as well as Chairman of the Council of Advisors of the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees Union (SISEU).

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Below is an excerpt of the session:

Sackur: Tharman, it's a pleasure to have you here and to be able to have a conversation with you. The St Gallen theme as you know is all about size and scale and about this notion that sometimes all of us in different forms, political, economic management can learn a lot from small, and obviously Singapore is a small nation that has achieved extraordinary things. So if one looks as an overview over the last 50 years, if you could define one thing that has been of paramount importance behind Singapore’s rise, what would it be?

Tharman: An attitude of mind. We took advantage of disadvantage. We converted permanent disadvantage into continuing advantage. And that’s a very fundamental attitude of mind. What disadvantage did we have? We were not a nation that was meant to be. It’s a diverse group of people coming out of colonial migration patterns, very different origins, very different belief systems and religions. We were small, no domestic market, decolonisation happened suddenly and the British withdrew their military forces quickly and it impacted a very large part of the economy. We’re surrounded by much larger neighbours. To our south, about 50 times the size of Singapore, and (who) at the very outset objected to the very formation of Singapore and Malaysia. We had every disadvantage you could think of for a nation and we did not expect to survive, we were not expected to survive.

But that, to Lee Kuan Yew and the pioneer team of leaders, was converted to advantage because it forces you to realise that all you have is yourself, the world owes you nothing. Your piece of granite rock – fortunately it’s granite by the way – not even a waterfall or mountains that allow you to have a little bit of hydroelectric power, nothing. Just a group of people of different origins who were willing to work hard and had to fend for themselves and make themselves relevant to the world. And that mindset, thinking of yourself as not having that advantage of size or history and that you’ve got to create it for yourself, turns out to be a phenomenal advantage.

Sackur: So it's an achievement of collective will. I think back to the timing, the early '60s, there were a lot of Asian nations that were emerging at that time from colonialism, you know. One can think of...

Tharman: And African and Caribbean.

Sackur: Of course. But if we just think about Asia and your experience with Asia, you had nations which I think economists were predicting would be truly powerhouse nations back then - Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma (Myanmar). All of these were tipped for the top, and yet of course we saw all of them in their different ways really struggle in the post-independence period. So, was it just that Singapore had, maybe it was size that allowed you to find the collective will that those other larger nations could not forge?

Tharman: Well, I think it's a very difficult question but let me put it this way: People think of Singapore as an economic success...that's what sort of catches attention very easily - per capita GDP and so on. But what was really interesting and unique about Singapore was social strategy, and most especially the fact that we took advantage of diversity, different races, different religions, and melded a nation where people were proud of being who they were but were Singaporean first and foremost.

Sackur: But was it melded from top down? And we can’t get away from the figure of Lee Kuan Yew himself, you know. It wasn’t there at the beginning. He imposed it.

Tharman: The natural workings of society would not have led it to that happening.

Sackur: Right.

Tharman: Not just in Singapore but anywhere in the world. The natural workings of society would have just as easily and more likely have led to mistrust, discomfort, bigotry and what we see in abundance in many countries in the world today.

Excerpt source:
Straits Times - http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-50-years-after-independence-forum-with-tharman-shanmugaratnam-at-st-gallen








Thursday, October 29, 2015

Singapore and Malaysia - Two similar countries that could not be more different.


Singapore and Malaysia are countries whose destinies have long been intertwined by geography, history and culture. But yet since a falling out in 1965, each country could not have chosen a more different direction to move towards.

Singapore was one of the 14 states of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965. It became part of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, Malaysia being a new political entity formed from the merger of the Federation of Malaya with North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. This marked the end of a 144-year period of British rule in Singapore, beginning with the founding of modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819.
The union, however, was unstable due to distrust and ideological differences between leaders of the State of Singapore and the Federal Government of Malaysia. Such issues resulted in frequent disagreements relating to economics, finance and politics. 
The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which was the political party in power in the Federal Government, saw the participation of the Singapore-based People's Action Party (PAP) in the Malaysian general election of 1964 as a threat to its Malay-based political system. There were also major racial riots that year involving the majority Chinese community and the Malay community in Singapore. 
In 1965, Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman decided upon the expulsion of Singapore from the Federation, leading to the independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.
Wikipedia: Singapore in Malaysia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_in_Malaysia 

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An open letter from a Malaysian to Singapore
Posted by Adrianna Tan on September 5, 2015 at 6:45 pm

Note: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not represent any organisation, the editorial team and/or the editor.

I was born in Malaysia in a time where the country was held ransom by the bumiputera policy that discriminated against Chinese, Indians and other non-bumi races.

Since their schooling days, my parents faced racial discrimination from quotas which gave all bumis scholarships to study in university regardless of grades (and 1 scholarship for the non-bumis to fight over). My father taught in a local school for 3 years, being passed over for a pay raise or promotion that was given to any new bumis.

My uncles and aunts ran small businesses which had to hire at least a bumi to stay on the “safe” side of the law of the local government. Protection money was considered “insurance” against weird reasons for authorities to revoke their business licence. 30% of their profits were paid to the government officials to tax businesses so that the Malaysian welfare policies could continue (or who knows, to pay for the latest high-class watch on some official’s wrist).

The merging of Singapore with Malaysia was regarded by my Malaysian relatives as a consequence of the British pulling out. Better to stick together than leave our Singaporean relatives alone.

But Lee Kuan Yew’s push for a multi-racial Malaysia and fairness for his constituents (who paid tax to Malaysian coffers but would not be defended by Malaysian defence forces) didn’t sit well with the UMNO and the sultans who came to power promising the bumis that the bumis always came first.

So Singapore was left alone to fend for itself. No one knew how things would turn out, will Malaysia eventually relax its bumi policy and give non-bumis a fair chance at opportunities? Will Singapore be acquired by Indonesia or remain a poorer cousin of Malaysia?

In Malaysia, we witnessed Singapore’s rise due to its emphasis on meritocracy, business-friendly and anti-corruption stance. Some of us dismissed Singapore as a fluke, you guys just got lucky. Some were secretly jealous, others felt Singapore was arrogant. But no one could refute the fact that Singapore gave all Singaporeans more opportunities than Malaysia would give all Malaysians.

My parents found jobs in Singapore 30 years ago in booming sectors where the Singapore education system hadn’t yet developed fully to produce local graduates, which eventually happened over the years.

Our relatives in Malaysia tell us, stay in Singapore, don’t go back home to Malaysia.

It isn’t safe to live in our hometown anymore. My aunt fell into a week-long coma after a motorcyclist snatched her handbag. My grandmother’s house was burgled. Another aunt was tied up at knifepoint in her own living room, with a plastic bag over her head. My uncle’s family was ambushed by a pack of burglars but he managed to fight them off, sustaining slash wounds in the process.

My cousin, with straight As, couldn’t get into a state university (that wasn’t even the top 5 universities of Malaysia). My Christian friends can’t use the word “Allah” in church after decades of doing so. Churches and temples are often targets of vandalism and arson. Housing is cheap, cars are cheap, but many of the younger generation are heading out of Malaysia, migrating to Singapore, Australia, Canada, UK, USA.

I feel sad when I see these things happening, that we are driven out of our own country and not welcomed back at all. Malaysian politicians want a Malay Malaysia, so they are happy to get rid of the non-bumis. My young nephews and nieces will continue to suffer from such racial policies.

The Bersih movement aims to expose the corruption of not only our Prime Minister, but the whole system. Once you allow corruption to set into Singapore, it is hard to rid yourself of the leeches who promise welfare to the poor but secretly pocket money meant for them.

So I am happy Singapore separated from Malaysia and got to do its own thing. Singaporeans can excel according to their worth, and not according to their racial background.

To my Singaporean friends, open your eyes and look around you. If you were born in another country into a low income family, how certain are you that you can climb to where you are today?

Yes Singapore has problems, and they must be solved by politicians who really do the work, and not sit around making noises like some Malaysian politicians do. You have the right to vote in a fair election, we have blackouts and fires.

Learn from our mistakes, don’t believe in those who say the sweet things and give handouts to win votes, but support those who do the actual work for the people.

– contributed by Five Stars and A Moon reader Jermaine Chua
Source: http://www.fivestarsandamoon.com/an-open-letter-from-a-malaysian-to-singapore/


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Passing of Lee Kuan Yew: On Pointe – Our love-hate relationship with Singapore
Posted on 15 April 2015 – 07:21pm  – Last updated on 16 April 2015 – 12:04am

By Natalie Shobana Ambrose

NEIGHBOURING country rivalry is a shared experience around the world. The “anything they can do, I can do better” syndrome is not only reserved for sporting events when pitted against each other but manifested and solidified through perceptions, comments and stereotypes, something we Malaysians do so well, especially when it comes to Singapore and Singaporeans. From serious issues such as water deals to our ongoing food fights with Singapore over the origin claims of Hainanese Chicken Rice and Chilli Crabs.

Perhaps the impetus of our acrimony and rivalry is not just that Malaysia and Singapore have a shared history, but more so because we used to be one until Singapore was “expelled” from Malaysia. A term used by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (in his eulogy for Lee Kuan Yew) who continued to described the separation as his father’s “greatest ‘moment of anguish’, but (that) it also proved to be the turning point in Singapore’s fortunes”.

So perhaps our resentment is further fuelled by the fact that despite driving it out of Malaysia, to the point of even threatening to cut water supply, Singapore still succeeded – it overtook us, sped up and now are too far ahead for us to even catch up. Could its success be a constant reminder and the fuel of our rivalry? After all, isn’t success the best form of revenge?

Some might argue that drawing comparisons about success might not be a fair or reasonable observation. After all, in 1965, Singapore and Malaysia had different starting points. Economic data of that time seems to vary like Goldilocks’ porridge. Some historians say that Singapore was the wealthier sibling to start with, others say it was poorer, and then there are those who say both countries had the same baseline. In fact, it was Malaysia that chose to terminate the tripartite currency interchangeability system in 1973 which meant the ringgit, was no longer at par with the Singapore and Brunei dollar.

Today, the Malaysian ringgit continues to shrink in a steady decline against that of the very country we expelled.

There are other glaring differences. Singapore’s land mass is smaller and so is its population, making it easier to govern and regulate. Therefore some might argue there are closer similarities between Singapore and countries such as Hong Kong and Brunei but not so much with Malaysia.

Yet when Singapore was in mourning over the passing of its founding father, it was hard not to draw comparisons with Malaysia and for some it raised the “what if” question of how different life would have been had they grown up on the other side of the pond. Admittedly some might not have been born given Singapore’s “stop at two” family planning policy which led to decreased fertility rates only to be followed by the “Great Marriage Debate” – an effort to augment the “thinning gene pool” by encouraging graduate women to have larger families. Yet Singapore even with such controlling features, including its notable ban on chewing gum, has the power and vision to draw Malaysia’s cream of the crop to its shores, from young Asean scholars to employing the most number of Malaysians, breaking our talent bank.

We can argue that it is the money that draws talent. After all, why would you want to stay and earn three times less when you can earn much more so close to home?

On a superficial level, that makes sense, but what about being the world’s second safest city, or the opportunities of working in a globally connected economically competitive cosmopolitan city with career opportunities based on meritocracy? Why hasn’t Malaysia then been able to do this for its people?

Earlier this year, a very accomplished Malaysian reached a brick wall with employment opportunities locally but had better offers at globally recognised and reputable organisations across the causeway. While waiting for his flight to his new home he lamented sadly, “why do I have to move to Singapore?”

If only such talent could flourish in Malaysia, we’d be the ones to catch up to. What’s even sadder with this story is that our country didn’t even put up a fight to retain such good talent.

So even if you want to stay, at some point between affirmative action and the lack of suitable opportunities, the lure of not having to deal with such ridiculous challenges pushes Malaysians towards Singapore, and yes an earning capacity that makes sense helps too. How did Singapore managed to do this and not us?

Both countries trumpet multiculturalism yet in Singapore most major train station signage have English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil translations on them. It is these simple things that say to citizens you belong, you are welcomed, you matter and this is your country, this is our shared country.

This is how nationalism is built in the midst of multiculturalism. Of course it takes more than multi-lingual signage to cultivate loyalty and devotion but it is such inclusion and ownership that builds patriotism.

Both our countries share a similar stance of developing the economy first. Singapore’s benevolent dictator once said “What are our priorities? First, the welfare, the survival of the people. Then, democratic norms and processes which from time to time we have to suspend”.

Speeches are very often quoted and used as a measure of a person’s character even if it’s not a true reflection. But looking at the thousands that turned up and queued for hours to pay their last respects, there was a genuine love and appreciation by the people for their leader who not only possessed a true gratefulness for looking after the people’s welfare but also building Singapore into a country its citizens are proud of.

Democracy has been a loose and fluid term in describing the political situation for both Malaysia and Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew was known to not tolerate dissent and so has our government. Yet, even though there was disagreement with one party ruling the nation all these years, the opposition leader of Singapore was invited and given a seat at the public funeral service. Graciousness and gentlemanliness shone through even in disagreement – a rare quality in politicians more so in authoritarians.

There are many opinions about Lee Kuan Yew’s style of governing, some in praise and others berating him. Yet, for all the bad that he did, plenty of good has come out of it. Singapore is an economic powerhouse with a generous healthcare system, world-class education and a solid housing programme, not to mention proud and patriotic citizens.

Just as Singaporeans are so indebted to their first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew for building the country up, the unfortunate truth is that Malaysia stands as a reminder of “what if”?

Malaysia and Singapore will always be neighbouring rivals, but at times like these, credit should be given where it is due.

Source: http://www.thesundaily.my/node/305010

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

[Haze 2015] Indo VP Kalla: Indonesia considers national emergency over forest fires



POSTED: 27 Oct 2015 19:00. UPDATED: 27 Oct 2015 20:34
Channel News Asia

JAKARTA: Indonesia is considering declaring a national emergency over fires that have been smouldering across the archipelago for weeks, sending haze drifting across much of Southeast Asia, the vice president said on Tuesday.

The government would intensify efforts to contain the fires that have caused pollution levels across the region to spike to unhealthy levels, and forced school closures and flight cancellations, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said.

"The problem is too big," Kalla said in an interview at his office in Jakarta.

"We are now considering to," he said, referring to a declaration of an emergency, adding that thousands of troops would be deployed to help combat the fires.

President Joko Widodo is expected to make a decision on the emergency after returning from the United States, Kalla said.

Kalla's comments come just a day after Widodo announced he would cut short his first official trip to the United States to fly directly to the haze-affected areas.

"He will be more focussed on domestic problems," Kalla said of the president's decision to cancel his visit to Silicon Valley, where he was expected to discuss investment deals with Apple and Google executives.

The fires, often deliberately set by plantation companies and smallholders, have been burning for weeks in the forests and carbon-rich peat lands of Sumatra and Kalimantan islands.

Recently, they have spread to places like Papua as the El Nino weather phenomenon exacerbates the dry season and hampers firefighting efforts.

An aide to the vice president, Wijayanto Samirin, said elevating the crisis to national emergency status would allow the government to speed up procurement processes for much-needed foreign firefighting equipment.

But he added there were concerns that businesses could use the government action to declare force majeure on deals in sectors ranging from palm oil to banking.

Kalla said about 40 million Indonesians in five provinces had been affected by the haze. The national disaster agency said late on Monday that haze was starting to spread south towards Java island, where over half the country’s population lives.

Indonesia has also deployed warships to evacuate infants and other vulnerable residents of haze-hit areas, a minister said last week.

The evacuations will be a last resort, said coordinating security minister Luhut Pandjaitan, if authorities are unable to provide care for those suffering from respiratory diseases.

The last time the country declared a national emergency was when the Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 100,000 people in 2004.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

- Reuters

Source: Channel News Asia

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[Haze 2015] While the Indo Govt potters around the haze, their own citizens suffer


This is a photo that was taken by Bjorneo Bear. Here is his story.


Today was a yellow day in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Air pollution index reached an all time high of 2900psi. I don't know what that means anymore. 
The man in the photo is Slamet. Normally he works in construction, but because of the haze there is currently no work for him in Palangka Raya. Slamet has no money, like literally no money. 
So he casts his net into a dirty canal somewhere in Palangka Raya. The water is full of garbage and toxic waste, yet he says "better a dirty fish than no fish at all. Always be grateful and give thanks to God."

Sources: 

Bjorneo Bear (Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=717264005070209&set=a.173483706114911.37953.100003598492069&type=3&permPage=1

Stunning, heartbreaking photo of man going fishing in toxic yellow 2,900 PSI haze in Central Kalimantan
http://jakarta.coconuts.co/2015/10/19/viral-stunning-heartbreaking-photo-man-going-fishing-toxic-yellow-2900-psi-haze-central



And here is what the Indo Govt's Coordinating Minister is concerned about when asked about releasing the names of the companies that are responsible for starting the fires that are causing the haze.


Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan said releasing the names would create uncertainty within the country.

Source: Channel News Asia - Jakarta not ready to name firms responsible for forest fires
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/jakarta-not-ready-to-name/2203338.html


To Luhut Pandjaitan, I say this:





Justice in The Here and Now

Posted October 23 at 8:30am
By Devadas Krishnadas (Facebook)

A guilty verdict has been delivered in trial of 6 members including the leader of the City Harvest Church (CHC). We now await the mitigation and sentencing phase which will formally conclude what has already become the longest trial in our modern legal history. What can we learn about ourselves from this trial? What can it tell us about where we may be going next?

First, we have to rationalise why the trial was so protracted. This seems to have had several contributory reasons. One, being that there were 6 accused. Second, the matter at hand was very convoluted. But it was also because the court allowed as much leeway as it could to listen to all arguments and into every corner of the case. This was because, this has not been just a trial against 6 persons but because the accused were religious actors and affiliated to a religious organisations special sensitivity applied to the appearance of the trial. Justice had to be done but more importantly seen to be done.

Second, none of the accused has, even now, admitted guilt. We now seem to find ourselves in an American style legal environment where the first rule of defence is “never plead guilty”. But more insidiously after the verdict the response from Pastor Kong, the most prominent accused, was to appeal to God - “The days and steps ahead are challenging, but with God’s grace and love, I have no fear” is what he is reported to have said. Ordinarily this would be a benign statement but coming from a self-appointed leader of a substantial religious movement we should treat such declarations with more circumspection.

By not acknowledging their guilt even as the evidence against them mounted while insisting that their actions were spiritually pure the 6 accused, most particularly Pastor Kong, have set up a shadow challenge against the supremacy of secular legal justice. By not conceding the error of his actions, he is essentially messaging his followers that while he has been convicted in the court of man, he is innocent in the court of God.

There are several worrying implications. In a multi-cultural and multi-religious society the common denominator can only be secular governance and justice. For that to prevail, all parties must accept its supremacy. Once they do not, then this opens the way for each affiliation to become partisan and particular in its interpretation of right and wrong, not only in spiritual matters, but also in civil and commercial arenas. While Kong and his co-accused have endured the trial they, none of them, have shown themselves ready to accept the verdict even if they are prepared to accept the sentence. This plays powerfully to Biblical narrative of the martyr.

If the members of the CHC do require their leaders to acknowledge their guilt then we could see a situation where the verdict, rather than be seen to be civil justice, is cast as alignment to the divine justice of martyrdom. While we should not make the trial more than it is, except that it actually is. The vital matter at hand is not verdict but the narrative the process is made to support. It must be clearly understood that this was a process of secular justice based on evidence of facts and not a battle between the secular State and a Church or a religion based on testimony of opinions.

If the followers of CHC can accept that narrative then we can be reassured of our future civil harmony. However, if they choose to see matters differently, then this opens the way for religious leaders to limit their obedience to the secular rule of law which would have implications in matters ranging from attitudes to homosexuality, to abortion, women’s rights and mutual acceptance of religious legitimacy.

Thus the ultimate irony of the CHC trial is that the Court may have delivered its verdict but it is the verdict of the followers of CHC that may matter more in the long run.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/1DevadasKrishnadas/posts/466051886889533



Tuesday, October 27, 2015

[Haze 2015] Jakarta not ready to name firms responsible for forest fires

POSTED: 19 Oct 2015 19:43 UPDATED: 19 Oct 2015 23:19
By Sujadi Siswo, Channel NewsAsia

JAKARTA: Jakarta has said it is not yet ready to officially disclose names of plantation companies responsible for the forest fires in the country that caused the haze in the region.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan said releasing the names would create uncertainty within the country.

Speaking to the media in Singapore after delivering a public lecture on Monday (Oct 19), he said Jakarta might consider releasing the names of the companies after they have gone though the legal process in Indonesia.

However, media reports said Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Ministry had revoked the concession licences of several companies responsible for causing forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Others had their licences or operations suspended. The companies' names have been mentioned by the reports.

More than 200 plantation companies operating in Sumatra and Kalimantan are being investigated for clearing their land by burning. A number of them are believed to have links to Singapore-based firms.

The Singapore Government has officially requested Jakarta to provide them with the names of those companies. This would allow Singapore to take legal action against those responsible for the haze that has blanketed the city-state and neighboring Malaysia and Thailand.

Luhut Pandjaitan said: “Well, we are not protecting (plantation companies). Like I mentioned earlier, we have not officially submitted the names to the court. So how can we disclose them to the public? It’s unfair. We’ll wait for the court’s final decision."

He added that the Indonesian government also do not want to create an uncertain situation within the country because of this. "Moving forward, they know that they are going to get punished by the government. I think this is very important.

"But next year, we have already given them a clear message: We are going to revoke their licence, no question about that. That I can assure you. They understand that fully.”

- CNA/al

Source: Channel News Asia - Jakarta not ready to name firms responsible for forest fires
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/jakarta-not-ready-to-name/2203338.html


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Isn't the Indo govt's response to releasing the company-names just bullcrap?


What the heck does it mean when the Indo govt says:

"it is not yet ready to officially disclose names of plantation companies responsible for the forest fires in the country that caused the haze in the region."

And the reason given for this stance by the Indo’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan is that:

"..releasing the names would create uncertainty within the country."


What the difference between a normal news report that releases the name of the suspect who has been charged with robbery, and the Indo govt publicizing the list of companies which are being/will be charged for causing the fires/haze??

How does the act of releasing the names "create uncertainty within the country"?

Like the person accused of robbery, these companies will be given their chance in Court to prove their innocence and refute the charges.

Or did Luhut Pandjaitan just unwittingly admit that there are so many govt officials and ministers involved or associated with these companies that to publicize the names would actually be bad for their financial interests/ destroy their voter support / expose their corrupt dealings?

And didn't the Indo Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi inform S'pore that they will soon share with Singapore the names of companies responsible for the illegal forest fires in Sept 2015? (ST: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/jakarta-to-share-names-of-culprits-behind-haze-fires)

In the meantime, the Indo citizens suffer and the rest of the world continues to benefit choke from Indonesia's contribution poisoning of the world-wide environment while their joke-of-a-government continues to potter around and worry about "creating uncertainty within the country."

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POSTED: 21 Oct 2015 13:24 UPDATED: 21 Oct 2015 19:00

Carbon from Indonesia fires exceeds US emissions: Green groups

The World Resources Institute, using findings from the Global Fire Emissions Database, said in a recent report that since early September carbon emissions from the fires had exceeded average US daily output on 26 out of 44 days.

JAKARTA: Indonesian forest and agricultural fires cloaking Southeast Asia in acrid haze are spewing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each day than all US economic activity, according to an environmental watchdog.

The shock assessment came as Jakarta said the number of blazes was increasing across the archipelago despite a multinational fire-fighting effort, and announced plans to deploy more water-bombing aircraft.

For nearly two months, thousands of fires caused by slash-and-burn farming have suffocated vast expanses of the region with smog, causing respiratory illnesses to soar, schools to close, and scores of flights and some international events to be cancelled.

Much of the burning is in tropical peatlands rich in carbon but which are being drained and cleared at a rapid rate to make way for agriculture, particularly fast-expanding palm oil plantations.

The World Resources Institute said in a recent report that since early September carbon emissions from the fires had exceeded average US daily output on 26 out of 44 days.

The United States is the world's second-largest greenhouse gas source after China. The WRI, a US-based research organisation that focuses on environment and development issues, normally classifies Indonesia as the fifth-biggest emitter.

"The burning of tropical peatlands is so significant for greenhouse gas emissions because these areas store some of the highest quantities of carbon on Earth, accumulated over thousands of years," said the WRI.

"Draining and burning these lands for agricultural expansion, such as conversion to oil palm or pulpwood plantations, leads to huge spikes in greenhouse gas emissions."

In its report, the WRI used findings from the Global Fire Emissions Database, which uses satellite information to estimate emissions from blazes.

The smog crisis is escalating as world leaders gear up for talks beginning next month on a climate rescue pact, which will seek to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

FIRES SPREADING

The fires and resulting region-wide blanket of smoke occur to varying degrees each year during the dry season as land is illegally cleared by burning, regularly angering Indonesia's smog-hit neighbours Malaysia and Singapore.

Malaysia, which in recent weeks has repeatedly ordered school closures across several states as a health precaution, did so again on Wednesday for the third straight day as pollution levels climbed.

The landmark twin towers in the capital Kuala Lumpur were shrouded in dense, grey smog, with air quality in the "very unhealthy" or "unhealthy" range across much of the country. In Singapore, air quality was in the "unhealthy" range.

Popular Thai holiday islands have also been affected with the haze forcing several planes packed with beach-bound tourists to turn back earlier this month.

While the loudest complaints have come from leaders in relatively affluent Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, it is poor Indonesian villagers who are suffering most.

One of the worst-hit areas, Palangkaraya, on Borneo, has been engulfed in thick, yellow haze, which has drastically reduced visibility and pushed air quality to more than six times "hazardous" levels.

Experts warn the current outbreak is on track to become the worst ever, exacerbated by bone-dry conditions caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The fires on the huge islands of Sumatra and Borneo are typically only brought under control by November with the onset of the rainy season.

But Herry Purnomo, a scientist at the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research, told AFP this week that climatology data indicated the rainy season may be delayed this year and that the fires could last until year-end.

Indonesia earlier this month agreed to accept international help after failing for weeks to douse the fires and last week launched its biggest fire-fighting push yet, with dozens of planes backing up thousands of personnel on the ground.

But the national disaster agency said the number of "hotspots" - areas detected by satellite which are already ablaze, or ripe to go up in flames - had risen to more than 3,200 and spread to the eastern Papua region, which is usually largely unaffected by fires.

Authorities hope to deploy a further 10 to 15 water-bombing planes, which will join about 30 aircraft already fighting the blazes. Singaporean and Malaysian aircraft have taken part in the operations, while two Russian planes arrived Wednesday to provide assistance.

- AFP/rw/ec

Source: Channel News Asia - Carbon from Indonesia fires exceeds US emissions: Green groups
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/carbon-from-indonesia/2207404.html?cx_tag=similar#cxrecs_s



Monday, October 26, 2015

'Return Our CPF' protester let off with warning


POSTED: 23 Oct 2015 10:30 UPDATED: 23 Oct 2015 11:29 
By Justin Ong

SINGAPORE: Goh Aik Huat, part of a group charged with public nuisance for their "Return Our CPF" protests in September 2014, was let off with a conditional warning on Friday (Oct 23).

The 42-year-old made a public apology in court on Friday. Judge Luke Tan granted him a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

"I wish to apologise to the court. I'm sorry and I undertake not to repeat this again," said Goh, speaking in Chinese. "I hope your honour can grant me one last chance."

Goh had begun the trial without representation, but was later defended by lawyer Suang Wijaya.

In a media statement, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said that the prosecution had decided to discontinue the prosecution against Goh, and directed the Police to administer a 24-month conditional warning to him instead.

This was based on "Goh’s culpability relative to that of the other co-accused persons, his willingness to apologise unreservedly to those affected by his conduct on Sep 27, 2014 and undertake not to engage in such conduct in future, as well as his conduct during the trial", according to the AGC statement.

This was administered by the Police on Oct 21. Should Goh commit any fresh offence within the 24-month period, he may be prosecuted for both the fresh offence and the nuisance offence, said the AGC.

Along with Han Hui Hui, 24, Koh Yew Beng, 60 and Low Wai Choo, 50, Goh was accused of disrupting a YMCA community event held at Hong Lim Park in September last year.

The four, together with Roy Ngerng, 34, and Chua Siew Leng, 43 - both of whom have since pleaded guilty - were at their "Return Our CPF" protest rally which took place at the same time and location.

Ngerng was fined S$1,900 and Chua fined S$300. A total of eight people have been issued the 24-month conditional warning arising from the Sep 27, 2014 incident, according to the AGC.

For Han, Koh and Low, the trial will continue on Feb 24 to 26, 2016. The three have not had legal representation in court since the commencement of the trial.


Sources:
Channel News Asia - 'Return Our CPF' protester let off with warning
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/return-our-cpf-protester/2212210.html?cid=FBSG

Image: Singapore Matters
https://www.facebook.com/SingaporeMatters/photos/a.710662802353449.1073741828.710654255687637/887385938014467/?type=3&theater


[SGH Hep C Outbreak] Opposition WP calls for COI

In response to the Workers' Party (WP) call for a Committee of Inquiry (COI) to probe the cluster of hepatitis C infections at the Singapore General Hospital, the Government said on Sunday that it would do so only if the opposition party "is prepared to lead evidence before the COI, to substantiate whatever allegations it might have".

Why is WP jumping the gun and calling for a COI when a probe is already under way and a police investigation also ongoing? By calling for a COI when a probe is already under way and will take 2 months to complete, WP is casting aspersions on the Ministry of Health, the professionalism and independence of the members of the review committee which includes 2 international experts, and the Police.

The Ministry of Health is right to require WP to lead evidence before the COI to susbstantiate whatever allegations it might have in calling for a COI ahead of a probe that is already under way.

Singapore Matters




The press secretary, Ms Lim Bee Khim, said that the independent review committee appointed to review the cause of the incident and its surrounding circumstances has engaged additional resource persons, including international advisors, to ensure that it has access to all the necessary expertise to do its review thoroughly.

The Committee's findings and recommendations will be made public.

A Police report has also been filed and the Police are conducting investigations.

The two international experts on the independent review committee are:

Dr Scott Dewey Holmberg from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
He is chief of the epidemiology and surveillance branch at the division of viral hepatitis at the National Centre for HIV, Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

Professor Trish Perl, a senior epidemiologist for Johns Hopkins Health System. 
She is a professor in the departments of medicine (infectious diseases) and pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and in epidemiology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Singapore Matters




So does WP keep itself abreast of all the developments surrounding the Hepatitis C cluster? Why is it calling for a committee of inquiry when a probe by an independent review committee which includes 2 international experts is already well under way since its appointment on Oct 6?

Does the same standards of being transparent and responsible apply to WP? Apparently not.

Singapore Matters
https://www.facebook.com/SingaporeMatters/photos/a.710662802353449.1073741828.710654255687637/888425607910500/?type=3&theater




The facts remain that when the cases started to surface, no one can draw any conclusion from each of those cases observed. It took just 5 cases for SGH to start investigation. However, investigation took time to established when, where & how the infection occurs.

WP and opposition parties are pretending not to understand in order to politicize the tragedy and rile anger on this emotive issue yet again.

Opposition is complaining that the infections were not reported before the GE. What they are really saying is that they missed the chance to exploit the tragic death for their GE campaign.

My condolences to the deceased and family.
Fabrications About The PAP
https://www.facebook.com/FabricationsAboutThePAP/photos/pb.213440582045291.-2207520000.1445831965./909424109113598/?type=3&theater

Timeline Source: TODAY Online - Timeline on outbreak of hepatitis C infections at SGH
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/timeline-outbreak-hepatitis-c-infections-sgh?singlepage=true

How do the diplomats from the UN see Singapore?



Source: 
Singapore Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpd-Gdw_Vl0&feature=youtu.be

"I did my best"



"I would say that I'm very determined when I set out to do something. First, I've got to decide whether something is worth doing. If it's not worth doing, well, I'm not prepared to spend the time over it, to make the effort. Then I just coast along, it doesn't matter whether it succeeds or doesn't succeed, it's of no consequence.

"But if I decide that something is worth doing, then I'll put my heart and soul into it. I'll give everything I've got to make it succeed.

"So I would put my strength, determination and willingness to see my objective to its conclusion.

"Whether I can succeed or not, that's another matter - but I will give everything I've got to make sure it succeeds.

"If I've got to get good people, I get good people. If I've got to change tack, I will change tack. But the objective is the same. The presentation may change... If you have decided something is worth doing, you've got to remove all obstacles to get there."

Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And His Ideas, published in 1998


Source: 

What is a Singaporean?




The article was published on Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's 90th birthday on Sept 16, 2013:

I was born in Malaysia, but became a Singapore citizen in 2008.
Immigration officials who processed my application were surprised by it, since I was stationed in Hong Kong at the time.

"Why do you want citizenship?" they asked.

Before the posting to Hong Kong, I spent 3 1/2 years working and living in Singapore. I had tremendous respect for the government and the country.

I replied without hesitation: "Because I choose Singapore as my home. I know I want to spend the rest of my life here."

I moved back to Singapore in 2010.

Born and bred Singaporeans sometimes may not come to appreciate Singapore the way immigrants do - simply because immigrants have seen how bad things can get in other countries.

The only competitive advantage this country has is a good government, which has spawned good schools, the rule of law, meritocracy and corporate governance, which have in turn brought high-end investments here. These investments have raised the standard of living for all.

At the heart of good government, of course, is Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Through his brilliance and sheer tenacity, he has proven that one man can make a difference. He took the poorest country in Asean (by gross domestic product per capita) and made it the richest.

I watched the National Day Parade this year from my new office on the 46th floor of the Marina Bay Financial Centre, which has a breathtaking view of the bay. The development of the bay area is a story in itself - of how Singapore can create value from little more than air, water and earth.

When Majulah Singapura was played, I sang it with my right hand to my chest. I sang it with pride because I love my new home country.

SIM S. LIM


Source: 



Sunday, October 25, 2015

[Haze 2015] Moral need to act decisively on haze, says Eng Hen


By Francis Chan, Indonesia Bureau Chief In Jakarta
Published on Oct 25, 2015.

The strongest motivation to resolve this year's transboundary haze crisis - statistically proven to be the worst in a decade - must be a moral one, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has said.

And those who own or use the land for commercial purposes must bear responsibility for the fires raging over them, Dr Ng added yesterday, as he welcomed the Singapore firefighting assistance team that returned home after a two-week mission to Indonesia.

"The haze has impacted the lives of millions of residents in our region in many ways. Schools have closed and the volume of business has dropped. Tourist arrivals will plummet if this becomes a chronic issue," Dr Ng wrote in a Facebook post.

"But to me, the strongest motivation to deal with the haze for Indonesia must be a moral one - the health of hundreds of thousands of their own citizens are affected by this man-made disaster as they breathe in high levels of pollutants. These are strong reasons to act decisively."

Yesterday, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan told The Sunday Times that the government plans to claw back concessions in peatlands that have not been cultivated, to prevent companies from using the slash-and-burn method to clear land.

The move is seen as a strong indication that Indonesia believes peatland restoration must be the focus of any efforts to end the haze crisis.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency estimates that more than 43 million people in the country are breathing in the toxic fumes from the fires.

The haze has also hit Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, forcing airports to delay or ground flights and schools to close as well.

The human costs, however, are the highest in Indonesia, where there have been unverified reports of more than 10 deaths, including babies, from lung infections.

Dr Ng said Indonesian leaders, including President Joko Widodo, have realised that what is key in preventing this environmental disaster from recurring is prevention and enforcement.

"I applaud the President's ideas and initiatives. The industrial scale of this disaster - millions of hectares burning - requires a systemic, deliberate and multi-prong response to be effective."

He added that there is no shortage of international expertise to help in the crisis.

On Oct 10, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deployed three aircraft and a 34-strong team to Sumatra after Indonesia accepted Singapore's offer.

The SAF team was accompanied by a six-man Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

"The Indonesian authorities accepted help from various countries, including Singapore, to deal with the haze for an initial two-week period," said Dr Ng.

"With the two-week period concluded, our SAF and SCDF personnel returned home today.

"This is the worst haze situation to affect this region in a decade. Our deepest thanks to our men and women who overcame difficult conditions on this mission to put out hot spots and help the surrounding villages."

Source: 

The Straits Times - Moral need to act decisively on haze, says Eng Hen
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/moral-need-to-act-decisively-on-haze-says-eng-hen


=====================================

Talk about Wayang - A photo of the Indonesian President was released showing him "surveying" the areas in Kalimantan that are burning. At that point in time, the PSI was about 2000.


This video shows how a place would really look like when the PSI is 2000.



This are the comments from two of the Indo Ministers about Singapore's assistance to fight the fires.


I am really skeptical that the Indo govt is serious about solving this man-made crisis.

[Haze 2015] The Indonesian Haze reaches Philippines


Friday, Oct 23, 2015, AFP

MANILA - Haze from Indonesian forest fires has spread to the southern and central Philippines, disrupting air traffic and prompting warnings for residents to wear face masks, authorities said Friday.

The large southern Philippine island of Mindanao is more than 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the nearest fires but the haze has become a worsening problem across the island over the past week, aviation authorities said.

It spread to the country's central islands of Cebu and Negros on Friday, disrupting air traffic, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said.

Eight domestic flights have been cancelled and dozens delayed since the problem began on October 16, affecting thousands of passengers, he added.

On some occasions, pilots could not see the airstrip as they were coming in to land.

"If you cannot see the runway it is very dangerous. You cannot always depend on instruments," he told AFP.

Dense haze hung over Davao, Mindanao's largest city of 1.5 million people, on Friday afternoon, plunging it under an early twilight.

Its airport, one of those affected according to Apolonio, handles 48 flights a day.

With visibility down to 1.2 kilometres at some times during the day, far less than the usual 10 kilometres, aircraft are forced to circle and wait above the runways for up to an hour, according to Apolonio.

Apolonio said the flight delays were also disrupting the busy airport of capital Manila, with some Mindanao-bound flights being held back.

Because Manila airport is operating at its full capacity of 40 landings and take-offs per hour, any delay involving Mindanao flights disrupts the aircraft queue for the rest of the day, he added.

For nearly two months, dense haze produced by Indonesian slash-and-burn farmers have suffocated vast expanses of Southeast Asia.

This has caused rates of respiratory illnesses to soar, schools to close, and scores of flights and some international events to be cancelled.

Much of the burning is in peatlands being drained and cleared at a rapid rate to make way for agriculture.

The Philippines has not been badly impacted.

It may have worsened recently due to Typhoon Koppu, which hit the northern Philippines on October 18, drawing the haze towards it, state weather forecaster Manny Mendoza told AFP.

While the seasonal northeast monsoons are expected to push back some of the haze from Indonesia over the coming weeks, any storms hitting the Philippines the rest of the year could aggravate the problem, he said.

"We can't say at this point that the smoke and haze will go away soon. This is expected to continue," Mendoza said.

The haze was not so bad as to raise a medical alarm, but residents in affected areas are being advised to wear face masks, according to health department spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy.

"The content (of the smoke) is not that much but even small amounts of ash could trigger an asthma attack, or cardio-pulmonary obstructive disease," he told AFP.

Sources:

Asiaone.com - Indonesian haze reaches the Philippineshttp://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/indonesian-haze-reaches-philippines#sthash.wnGlV2vk.dpuf

Image: Fabrications About The PAP (FAP)
https://www.facebook.com/FabricationsAboutThePAP/photos/a.245735922149090.70599.213440582045291/916402138415795/?type=3&theater



Saturday, October 24, 2015

The Lie called "Minimum Wage"


"Since [the HK government] was supposedly dealing with the poverty issue in the past few years, the number should be on the decrease. To have a double-digit rise is quite a lot, and means that what we've done so far is not enough," said Oxfam programme manager Wong Shek-hung.

Minimum Wage? Politicians riding on populist measures. Paying lip service to a real problem.

In Singapore, we have the progressive wage to help workers progressively upgrade skills, increase productivity to move up the career ladders to a higher wage.

"The number of working poor families - households living under the poverty line with at least one member holding down a job - increased by 10 per cent in five years...An Oxfam Hong Kong report pointed out that another 18,100 families have fallen into poverty, taking the total number of people in working poor households to 647,500 - accounting for half of Hongkongers living below the poverty line." - SCMP


- Fabrications About The PAP Facebook (FAP)

===================================

Background: During the GE2015, the Workers Party and Reform Party propose to implement Minimum wage.

Source:
Channel News Asia - PAP, opposition candidates trade words over cost of living and immigration issues
 http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pap-opposition-candidates/2093176.html

====================================

The Freeman - The Truth About the Minimum Wage
Monday, November 19, 2012

People don’t like to think that anyone's labor is worth less than the minimum wage. Someone might end up flipping burgers for $5.00 an hour. You might think the minimum wage is a way of paying some sort of dignity premium--hence language like "living wage." People with such good intentions look at the direct beneficiaries of these policies, say, burger flippers now making $7.50 an hour. They pat themselves on the back. But they rarely count the invisible costs: willing human beings who never get hired in the first place.

"But $5.00 an hour is not enough to live on!," they'll say. For whom? A teenager living at home with his parents? An elderly person who wants simply to stay active? A single mom with three kids? A single woman sharing an apartment with 2 roommates? Of course, not all of these people could live off of $5.00 an hour. But some of them could given the opportunity. Concerns about those who couldn't don't justify minimum wages even if we ignored the invisible costs of the policy, which include reduced margins to businesses that might otherwise grow (and hire more people).

In other words, if you take off the bottom two rungs of the income ladder, many will never climb it. That’s the effect of the minimum wage. The more cynical side of me says that’s how many politicians and the overpaid teamsters want it.

Enjoy this great video and some timeless pieces on the minimum wage by some of FEE's excellent scholars.

-The Editors

 The Truth about the Minimum Wage

Further Reading:

Minimum Wage, Maximum Folly by Walter Williams
"While there is a debate over the magnitude of the effects, the weight of research by academic scholars points to the conclusion that unemployment for some population groups is directly related to legal minimum wages. The unemployment effects of the minimum-wage law are felt disproportionately by nonwhites. A 1976 survey by the American Economic Association found that 90 percent of its members agreed that increasing the minimum wage raises unemployment among young and unskilled workers. It was followed by another survey, in 1990, which found that 80 percent of econo­mists agreed with the statement that increases in the minimum wage cause unemployment among the youth and low-skilled. Furthermore,­­ whenever one wants to find a broad consensus in almost any science, one should investigate what is said in its introductory and intermediate college textbooks.­ By this standard, in economics there is broad agreement that the minimum wage causes unemployment among low-skilled workers."

Raising the Minimum Wage Will Do No Harm? It Just Ain't So! by Richard McKenzie
"With the money-wage hike and the reduced benefits, workers can be left worse off since the fringes and slack work demands taken away were provided in the first place because workers valued them more highly than the wages forgone for those benefits. Given the findings of his own as well as other researchers’ studies, Wessels deduces that every 10 percent increase in the hourly minimum wage will make workers 2 percent worse off."

The Minimum Wage: An Unfair Advantage for Employers by Donald Boudreaux
"Minimum-wage legislation prohibits wages from falling low enough to equate the number of people seeking jobs with the number of jobs being offered. As a result, the supply of unskilled labor permanently exceeds the demand for unskilled labor at the government-mandated minimum wage.
Minimum-wage legislation thus creates a buyers’ market for unskilled labor. And as in all buyers’ markets, buyers (employers) have an unequal bargaining advantage over sellers (unskilled workers)."

"There are three principal effects of this general increase in wage compensation:
1. Employers will tend to reduce non-wage compensation in an effort to minimize their overall production costs. That is, employer-provided benefits are a casualty of increases in the minimum wage.
2. As labor costs (generally) rise, producers will hire less labor and more capital. There is no worse time for labor generally (and unskilled labor specifically) to contemplate an increase in the minimum wage than when technological advances are reducing the cost of capital. The high cost of middle-management labor combined with rapid reductions in the cost of computer-processed information was the driving force behind the corporate restructuring of the late 1980s and early 1990s that put hundreds of thousands of white-collar workers in the unemployment lines.
3. Although it may appear that ratcheted-up wages benefit lower-wage employees, the appearance is deceptive. In the long run, less-skilled workers are disproportionately harmed by artificially induced increases in wages."

Even Warren Buffett is unsure about the effectiveness about using Minimum Wage.



But hey, if you don't believe what the smart people above say about minimum wage, then let's take a look at a real-life case.

The Seattle City Council passed a US$15 minimum wage ordinance that is currently being phased in.. And see what happened to their job market.

Data shows that the Seattle Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) lost 700 restaurant jobs from January to September of this year, and a report from the American Enterprise Institute suggests that this could be the product of adverse effects of minimum wage hikes on restaurant jobs."
"What is also noteworthy about the loss of Seattle restaurant jobs this year is the fact that restaurant employment in the rest of Washington state is booming this year,” writes Mark Perry, an AEI scholar and professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan’s Flint campus.  
“One likely cause of the stagnation and decline of Seattle area restaurant jobs this year is the increase in the city’s minimum wage,” Perry wrote.

Read more of the article here:
Seattle Voted to Hike the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour. Here’s What Happened to Seattle’s Job Market.http://dailysignal.com/2015/10/22/seattle-hiked-the-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour-heres-what-happened-to-seattles-job-market/

Minimum wage effect? From Jan. to Sept. Seattle MSA restaurant jobs fell -700 vs. +5,800 food jobs in rest of state


Sources - 

Fabrications About The PAP Facebook (FAP)
https://www.facebook.com/FabricationsAboutThePAP/photos/a.245735922149090.70599.213440582045291/906620402727302/?type=3&theater

The Freeman - The Truth about the Minimum Wage

Chicks on the Right - Seattle Got Their Precious $15 Minimum Wage. But Look At What Happened To The Job Market. 22 Oct 2015
http://www.chicksonright.com/seattle-got-their-precious-15-minimum-wage-but-look-at-what-happened-to-the-job-market/




More misleading half-truths about CPF


Trashy, anti-govt "media" websites like TRE continuously mislead people by spreading half-truths about the CPF system.

Yes, the interest rates for CPF are between 2.5% and 4% (depending on which account you are referring to). But these are returns which are guaranteed by the SG Govt, the only AAA-rated (by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch) government in Asia, and is absolutely risk free.

If TRE wants to complain that the interest rates are not good enough, then don't just complain. Show us what alternatives you can come up with that have:
(1) Higher returns than CPF
(2) Is guaranteed
(3) Is Risk Free.

And better yet, if our CPF system was so bad, then explain why are more people putting more money into their CPF accounts voluntarily?

And CPF skeptics should read read the HSBC article and do their own research on retirement planning. The plain facts are that due to the increase life expectancy and expected inflation - we just simply need to put more money aside for our retirement.
"According to the HSBC-commissioned independent research study into global retirement trends, The Future of Retirement: A balancing act, future retirees in Singapore foresee their savings to last only 13 out of an average of 23 years in retirement.
The study, which involved more than 16,000 people from 15 countries including 1,000 Singapore respondents, also found that the key reasons for a retiree's savings shortfall are: lack of financial preparation during their working years, negative impacts of economic downturn as well as other life events.

The global report by HSBC also examines the pressures surrounding working age savers and retiree spenders, their different approaches to secure a desired standard of retirement life and also global retirement trends."
HSBC Research: Singaporeans financially unprepared for retirement
http://business.asiaone.com/news/singaporeans-financially-unprepared-retirement-hsbc-research#sthash.l6XbrJhS.dpuf


=========================================================

More making voluntary contributions to CPF accounts

SINGAPORE: More Singaporeans are making voluntary contributions to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts. According to the CPF Board, these top-ups amounted to about S$500 million last year, up 25 per cent compared to 2013.

One such Singaporean is former investment analyst Lim Chin Yong, who retired in 2012. The 56-year-old has been making voluntary contributions to his own CPF account for the past two years, to earn higher interest on his savings.

Last year, he also topped up his wife's retirement account, so that she can be eligible for the CPF LIFE Scheme.

"CPF LIFE to me - at the time when I was looking at it, in 2014 - when you contribute, a minimum of S$148,000, it will guarantee you something like S$1,000 to S$1,200 from 65 until (you turn) 80 or 85, or until you die. S$1,000 to S$1,200 - it doesn't take you far, so I decided to put money into my wife's account so that she can have her own income stream of S$1,200 when she retires,” said Mr Lim.

Mr Lim is not alone. According to the CPF Board, there were nearly 74,811 top-ups last year, up 24 per cent compared to 2013.

Said Associate Professor Jeremy Goh from the Singapore Management University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business: “When people make decisions like topping up their CPF accounts and looking at how much are the rates that are being paid, they are also looking at what the alternatives are. So if the alternatives out there are not as attractive as the one offered by CPF, then they will choose to top up. When people top up their CPF accounts, it just signals to me at least, that the rates seem pretty attractive.”

If what you want are risk-free returns and a higher annuity payout after retirement, financial advisors say you may be better off putting your spare cash into your CPF accounts. But for those with no spare cash on hand, it might be best to increase your income, experts recommend.

Said Mr Tan Siak Lim, financial advisory director at Financial Alliance: "There are not a lot of solutions, to be honest, other than to try to increase their income, because everything starts from your income. If you don't have excess funds, obviously you'd want all your money to be out, for your daily bread-and-butter necessities."

Currently, Singaporeans with sufficient balances in their Retirement Accounts at age 55 will automatically be placed under the CPF LIFE scheme. This is S$60,000 at the payout eligibility age for those turning 55 on Jan 1, 2016 or after.

For those turning 55 between Jan 1, 2013 to Dec 31, 2015, there must be at least S$40,000 in the Retirement Account at 55 years old, or at least S$60,000 in the Retirement Account at payout eligibility age, which is currently at 65.

According to the CPF Board website, those with insufficient funds can also apply to join CPF LIFE.

- CNA/dl



Sources:

Image: Shut Down TRS Facebook

Channel News Asia - More making voluntary contributions to CPF accounts



Thursday, October 22, 2015

Singapore ranks 1st in the world in Grant Thornton’s Global Dynamism Index


Grant Thornton has released the 2015 edition of its Global Dynamism Index. The Index, based on data collected by the Economist Intelligence Unit, ranks the business growth environments of 60 leading economies.

Singapore ranks top overall, up from 7 in the previous iteration of the index. Key reasons for the dominant position are:


  • The political, legal and governance framework, with high scores being attributed to political stability, the low level of legal and regulatory risk, the high quality of the financial regulatory system, and government encouragement of private enterprise and competition
  • Access by firms in Singapore to medium-term financing and the depth of the domestic banking market
  • Low corporate tax burden
  • Low barriers to international trade and exchange flows
  • Low unemployment
  • High investment in IT


However, the Index noted that Singapore’s level of dynamism was held back by the reducing volume and value of inward M&A deals, by the lower recent levels of foreign direct investment, and by the reducing percentage of the population under 30 years of age.

The Index’s findings are backed up by Grant Thornton’s own International Business Report for Q2 2015, which surveyed over 5,000 global business decision-makers.  This found that:


  • Only 7% of those polled were put off investing in Singapore by its legal and regulatory framework
  • Only 6% were dissuaded by its political framework
  • Only 6% were dissuaded by limited access to finance


Over half of global business leaders surveyed thought Singapore a key strategic market for their business.

Peter Allen, CEO of Grant Thornton Singapore, said:  “The Index’s findings accord with our own experience of operating here in Singapore.  This is a strategically crucial market for us where the very stable political, legal and regulatory framework makes it a natural hub for our, and our clients’, operations in the region.  The one weak spot is inward M&A which has been held back by disparities in pricing expectations.  Although the current relative softness of the Singapore dollar may help this, we fear that vendors of Singaporean businesses may need to adjust their price expectations over the next year or two.”


Source:

Grant Thornton - Singapore ranks 1st in the world in Grant Thornton’s Global Dynamism Index
http://www.grantthornton.global/en/press/press-releases-2015/singapore-ranks-1st-in-the-world-in-grant-thorntons-global-dynamism-index/