Dun Talk Cock Lah!: With You, For You, For Singapore

While some bodoh idiotic people side with belligerent foreign powers acting against S’pore’s interests, and attempt to re-interpret history to their whims and fancies, the PAP Govt continues on with its work of preparing S’pore for future challenges and making life better for ALL S’poreans.

No one is saying that the PAP Govt is perfect, and yes, there will be times when there are cock-ups (eg: MRT breakdown woes). But at least they learn from their mistakes, fix the problem responsibly and transparently and carry on with the work of building up Singapore for all Singaporeans.

Just have a look at what the PAP Govt is doing for Singaporeans recently. These are not some airy-fairy motherhood statements or plans. These are concrete actions which will have a direct impact on improving the lives of S'poreans.

Sembawang Integrated Hub to be called Bukit Canberra (1 July 2018)

SINGAPORE: The upcoming Sembawang sport and community hub set to open progressively from 2020 will be called Bukit Canberra, announced Sport Singapore on Sunday (Jul 1) at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The 12 hectare space - first announced in 2016 - will provide amenities such as a hawker centre, indoor and outdoor sport facilities, a polyclinic, a senior care centre, green spaces for community farming and lifestyle related amenities for the community. It is located about five minutes from Sembawang MRT station.

Bukit Canberra will also see the largest ActiveSG gym with indoor and outdoor pools. There will also be 3km of running trails as well as a fruit orchard and healthcare options such as a polyclinic and senior care centre.

Bigger, better Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic officially opens (1 Jul 2018)

The new Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic was given its official opening yesterday, offering greater accessibility to elderly and disabled patients as well as an expanded team-based healthcare system.

The $44 million polyclinic began operations in January after moving from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 to a facility in Ang Mo Kio Central 2, which at 8,752 sq m is three times bigger. It sees a total of 1,500 patients every day - 200 more than at its previous site - and more than a third are over 65 years old.

The new polyclinic is designed to cater to this group, with more lifts, handrails, non-slip flooring and wider passageways. It is also fitted with a $70,000 wheelchair tilter, to eliminate the inconvenience of transferring patients who are wheelchair users to a dental chair.

The polyclinic has also expanded its team-based care model, which was introduced at National Healthcare Group polyclinics three years ago. In an effort to avoid disruption to treatment, each patient with a chronic ailment is assigned a specific healthcare team which will manage his or her case.

Each team is made up of two family physicians, a care manager and care coordinator.

Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic initially had four teams helping 20,000 patients but this has now been expanded to six teams looking after 30,000 patients.

The polyclinic is also the first to have a senior care centre located within its premises.

Childcare subsidies to be reviewed (1 Jul 2018)

SINGAPORE: The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will be reviewing its preschool subsidy framework, announced Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee on Sunday (Jul 1).

Currently, eligible households can receive up to S$740 in childcare subsidies per month. The amount a family receives depends on their household income. When last reviewed in 2013, the framework saw an increase of at least S$100 in childcare subsidies.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to a community health and developmental screening event at Boon Lay, Mr Lee said the review will help to ensure that quality preschools remain accessible and affordable to families with young children.

SkillsFuture course ratings to be displayed for all govt-funded courses by 2019 (30 Jun 2018)

SINGAPORE - Users of the MySkillsFuture platforms can now make more informed course selections, as both the web portal and phone app are displaying user ratings for selected courses for the first time.

These ratings are based on two surveys: one on the satisfaction of trainees at the end of each course, and another that measures, six months later, how much trainees have applied what they learned in their work.

The survey findings are translated into a ratings system, which all users can see, said SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), which operates the portal and app. Qualitative comments by trainees will also be on display.

In his speech, Mr Chee noted that technology is impacting the way Singaporeans live. Resisting it is not an option and new jobs will require workers here to learn new skills and adopt new approaches at work, he said.

"We need to equip our workers with the knowledge to use technology effectively, like how a craftsman is able to use his tools skillfully to get the job done," he said.

This upskilling must be part of a "national culture" which encourages lifelong learning from young, with strong support from employers, unions, and educational institutions.

Tuas Desalination Plant opens, another milestone in Singapore’s water quest (28 Jun 2018)

SINGAPORE — Singapore's first desalination plant owned and operated by the Government officially opened on Thursday (June 28). The Tuas Desalination Plant is the Republic's third and has a capacity of 30 million gallons per day (mgd).

Singapore’s water sustainability came under the spotlight earlier this week when Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad revived a dispute with Singapore over the terms agreed in a 1962 pact.

At the opening ceremony, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli reiterated that this latest milestone in Singapore's water story "did not come easy". He did not make any reference to Dr Mahathir’s latest remarks.

Mr Masagos said: "Gradually but surely, we will continue to build up the capacity of our desalination and NEWater capacities, so that by 2060, NEWater and desalination can supply a combined 85 per cent of our water needs then."

1.6 million Singaporeans to receive S$1 billion GST Vouchers, Medisave top-ups (28 Jun 2018)

SINGAPORE — By next Friday (July 6), 1.6 million citizens will receive notifications about their 2018 Goods and Services Tax (GST) Vouchers and Medisave top-ups, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Thursday (June 28).

Adult citizens who qualify for the one-off SG Bonus of up to S$300 for adult citizens, announced at Budget 2018,will also be notified about their SG Bonus benefits by October.

In total, lower-income Singaporeans will each receive up to S$600 in cash benefits this year, comprising S$300 in GST Voucher to be paid out into their bank accounts on Aug 1, and S$300 in SG Bonus to be paid out by year-end.

Apart from cash, Singaporeans will receive top-ups to their Medisave as well as U-Save rebates under the GST Voucher scheme.

Homeowners of a three-room flat can expect to receive a total U-Save rebate of S$350 per household this year.

On top of this, as announced at Budget 2018, eligible Housing and Development Board (HDB) households will also receive an additional rebate of S$20 a year from 2019 to 2021.

These quarterly rebates are aimed at helping lower- and middle-income HDB to offset their utilities bills.

To help elderly Singaporeans pay for their medical needs, Medisave top-ups will be given.

Some 485,000 Singaporeans aged 65 years and above in 2018 will receive up to S$450 in Medisave top-ups in August under the GST Voucher scheme.

Citizens who are aged 59 and above, who do not receive Pioneer Generation benefits, will also receive a Medisave top-up of up to S$200 between this year and the next.

Pioneers, on the other hand, will receive Medisave top-ups of between S$200 and S$800 in July.

Dun Talk Cock Lah!

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

With You, For You, For Singapore

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