Tuesday, July 10, 2018

The crux of the Water issue for S'pore has NEVER been the price of raw water

Extract of Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament on Monday (9 Jul 2018) on the SG-Msia Water Agreement, and why it is NOT the price of water that is the problem, BUT the manner in which the price change takes place. Edited video: Shut Down TRS FB page

Just think about it lah.

How would you feel if your mobile phone service provider suddenly increases your mobile service by $X, or decrease the amount of mobile data you have while you are still under Contract. Will you be happy about it? Can you accept it that the phone company can simply change contract terms without your consent?

Fair or not?

How about your domestic helper’s salary? What if your helper just said to you today that she wants her salary to be increased by $x, or maybe from now, cleaning the bathroom will not be part of her job scope; even though the salary and job scope is what was agreed upon when you employed her and she is still under contract. Can you accept these demands and changes from your helper without any discussion?

Reasonable or not?

Similarly, Singapore is being intentionally put in the similar situation by the current M'sian govt.

Singapore has emphasised it time and time again - the issue has NEVER been about the price of raw water. It is the HOW the changes to the agreement are being made by one party only - that is M'sia.

What Singapore is unable, and will never accept, is that the current Malaysian Govt is trying to change the terms of the agreement by themselves (ie: “unilaterally changing the terms of the agreement.”) without having discussed the matter with, or asked if Singapore would sit down to discuss it and come to a new agreement.

To put it simply, BOTH parties must come together to agree to change the terms of any agreement.

And remember, the agreement cuts both ways.

M’sia cannot just anyhow increase the price of RAW, UNTREATED water (which is 3 Sen per thousand gallons) as and when they like.

Note: The raw untreated river water, that S’pore pays 3 sen for, would have flowed into the sea in any case. Plus S’pore also pays for, and maintains all of the necessary infrastructure. (See here for more facts about the water agreement)

Likewise, S’pore also cannot just anyhow increase the price of CLEAN, TREATED water (which is 50 Sen per thousand gallons) that is being sold back to M’sia too.

Note: S’pore’s cost of treating the RAW water (in 2003) is actually RM2.40 per thousand gallons. Contrast the cost of producing CLEAN TREATED water at RM2.40 to the 50 sen price that M’sia pays for clean, treated water from Singapore. And what’s more, the M’sia govt simply re-sells this same clean treated water to Johore citizens at RM3.95! (as of 2003). Who’s the one that is benefiting the most now? (See here for more facts about the water agreement)

Pic: Shut Down TRS FB page

Bear in mind, Singapore has also never said that it would not budge on the water price issue.

All Singapore wants is to have matter properly discussed, and perhaps to have a new agreement that is acceptable and agreed to by BOTH countries.

In fact, what the current M’sian Govt fails to mention or seems to conveniently forget, is that S’pore and M’sia had began negotiations from 1998 to 2003 to discuss the price of raw water as well as several other bilaterial issues which were important to both countries.

And while Singapore tried to settle on terms which were acceptable to both countries, it was Malaysia that kept changing its position on the water price – increasing from 45 sen per thousand gallons in August 2000, to 60 sen in Feb 2001, and then again to RM6.25 in September 2002. The water talks ended in 2002 without any conclusion when then PM Mahathir informed Singapore that Malaysia wanted to “decouple the water issue” from the other items in the negotiations.

(See here for a summary of these negotiations)

So Malaysia, let’s sit down together and talk properly over tek tarik and work out a agreement that acceptable to, and benefits BOTH countries, and not just anyhow talk ~~cock~~ through the media.

Read more here:

Gov.sg YouTube Channel: Speech by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament (9 July 2018) on Singapore-Malaysia relations
CNA: Singapore-Malaysia relations: Both countries must fully respect sanctity of international agreements, says Dr Balakrishnan (9 Jul 2018)

CNA: Price of water sold to Singapore 'ridiculous'; Malaysia to renegotiate deal, says Mahathir (25 Jun 2018)

SG Ministry of Foreign Affairs publication: Water Talks? – If Only It Could.
A succinct account of the 1998-2003 SG-Msia negotiations on several bilateral issues, including the price of raw water. (Back up copy)

SG Ministry of Foreign Affairs publication: Singapore-Malaysia Water Talks: What are the Facts?
(Back up copy)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release - WATER ISSUE IS ABOUT SANCTITY OF AGREEMENTS, NOT ABOUT PRICE ALONE, SAYS SINGAPORE FOREIGN MINISTER PROF S JAYAKUMAR (Back up copy)

Lee Kuan Yew: The architect of Singapore's water story By Eco-Business (25 March 2015)
(Back up copy)

Read previous posts about Singapore and Water

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Strengthening S'pore's support for Long-Term Care

Faced with falling birth rates, Singapore’s population is now aging (ie: more elderly folks than young kids), and there will be more of us that are likely to need long-term healthcare and support as we age into our golden years.

In addition to your own savings, health insurance plans and family support for your retirement, the Govt has announced that it is introducing 3 new schemes to further strengthen its framework to support S’poreans long-term care needs and expenses.

CareShield Life

This is a new long-term care insurance scheme which has lifetime cash payouts for S’poreans who become severely disabled. Premiums can be fully paid out from your CPF’s medisave account and there will be incentives and subsidies to make the premiums affordable.

See here for a summary of CareShield Life (Original Source: MOH)

MediSave Cash Withdrawals for Long-term Care

S’poreans who are severely disabled will be able to withdraw up to $200 per month from their MediSave accounts to support their long-term care needs and expenses.

See here for a summary of MediSave Cash Withdrawals (OriginalSource: MOH)

ElderFund

This is a new assistance scheme for lower-income, severely disabled S'poreans who are not able to join CareShield Life, or have low MediSave balances and inadequate personal savings to meet their long-term care needs. They will be able to receive up to $250 per month.

See here for examples of how ElderFund will work (OriginalSource: MOH)

These new Schemes will be implemented from 2020 and are part of the Govt’s key social policies to strengthen social risk-pooling, facilitate the use of personal and family savings and provide an additional safety net for long-term care expenses.

Taken together, and combined with other Government schemes and personal and family savings, the measures will give Singaporeans better assurance and peace of mind that they will be protected and supported for their long-term care needs, for life.

Click here for the MOH Press Release on these new Schemes.

For more information, please visit www.careshieldlife.sg

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

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.

Historian(?) turned Professional liar fails in latest attempt to alter history

The notoriously incompetent historian (?) turned Professional Liar Thum Ping Tjin, was called out for attempting to alter history ... yet again.

Liar Thum had attempted to make people believe that Lee Kuan Yew’s 1985 address to the US Congress was not well received by posting a cartoon that cast doubt on how the event went.

Liar Thum then went on to implied that Lee Kuan Yew’s stellar international reputation was just made-up by “the government-controlled media”.

However, due to his sheer incompetence and failure to fact-check (a trait that should be second-nature for historians), Liar Thum did not realize that there was a YouTube video (with over 90k views) of that very same speech by Lee Kuan Yew. Thus adding yet another dismal attempt to his resume of misleading people and attempting to revise history with his own brand of interpretation.

Here's the link to that YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6CZ3C0niPg

See 3:15, 4:11, 5:26 and for Standing ovation at 9:47.

However, even when caught pants-down-and-on-fire, Liar Thum still tried to play dumb in hopes of pushing away the responsibility for his failed lie onto the International Herald Tribune.

Liar Thum must think people are stupid enough not to see through his ploy. Don’t you think you should have fact-checked before posting this, Liar Thum? In the age of Google search, there is simply no reason not to. Got more stupidly cock person or not?

Liar Thum, no one is stopping you from criticizing Lee Kuan Yew.

But using lies, half-truths and ignoring inconvenient facts to shape your “new narrative” of history is just a dick move. And it shows the severe lack of integrity and honor in your character, and how lowly you think of S'poreans that they would simply believe the rubbish you sprout.

Source: Singapore Matters FB Page

Source: Fabrications About The PAP FB page

See Thum's previous attempt to revise History here.

See here for the speech by then PM Lee Kuan Yew at the joint meeting of the US Congress on 9 October 1985 in Washington, DC.

Monday, July 2, 2018

[ Defending the Lion City ] Looking beyond the pomp and circumstance of SAF Day

“We have no enemies now. Why does Singapore need to spend so much money on defense?”

“Why do we need to do National Service (NS)?”

“NS is a waste of my time. It has made me fall behind in my career as compared to my overseas peers.”

“One bomb and Singapore is done for. Why bother with NS/defense/SAF?”

The answer to all these grouses/complaints/questions is actually pretty simple.

This is why.

Skulls, bones and other grisly remains being exhumed from a mass grave of Operation Sook Ching victims in Bedok on June 10, 1966. These remains were ultimately laid to rest at the Civilian War Memorial along Beach Road.

Japanese Troops posed triumphantly in front of the Railway Station, 1942. “昭南驛” translates into “Syonan Station”. (Source)

Japanese Atrocities: Soldiers preparing to shoot prisoners 20 meters away. Photo found amongst Japanese records when British retook Singapore.

Japanese Atrocities: Photo found amongst Japanese records when British retook Singapore.

Percival & other British Officers carrying the Union Jack to surrender Singapore to the Japanese

History.SG - Singapore falls to the Japanese

Wikipedia - Battle of Singapore

YouTube: Battle for Singapore

National Museum of Singapore - Surviving Syonan

National Archives of Singapore - The Old Ford Factory (Renamed as 'Syonan Gallery: War and Its Legacies' in Feb 2017.)

Singapore Infopedia - Information related to the Japanese Occupation of Singapore

Straits Times - 'Bitter but valuable lessons' for Singapore from Japanese Occupation: Ng Eng Hen

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Lee Kuan Yew's words on relations with Malaysia

Ever since Mahathir is back as the PM of M'sia, relations between S'pore and M'sia have seemingly taken a turn for the worse.

First there's M'sia's flip-flopping over the High-Speed Rail project, being conducted over the media instead of direct Govt-to-Govt talks.

Then now the apparent revival of one of Mahathir's favourite pet peeve - the Water Agreements.

Should S'poreans panic?

If you were old enough to have known about his ~~antics~~ tactics as the 4th PM from 1981 to 2003 in dealing with S'pore, you would have recognize that the current situation is very similar to what he was doing when he was the 4th PM.

We have to remember that Mahathir is an extremely shrewd politician who has made a come-back as PM again despite being out of Govt for more than 15 years. If anything, he is a master at using rhetoric to shape public opinion for his own purposes.

So let Mahathir rant on and on about his unhappiness with whatever deals.

Notice that he only rants to the media. Yet the S'pore Govt is still waiting for official communication on the HSR project. So efficient. M'sia Boleh ya?

We just have to recognize that that's just one of his ~~antics~~ tactics to cast S'pore in an unfavourable light to M'sians, and make us a convenient bogeyman/scapegoat/whipping boy to pin whatever policy failings of his administration; to rile up and enlarge his political support base, and to manipulate public opinion to pressure and bully S'pore.

My opinion is that S'poreans should just chill.

Our position on the High-Speed Rail project, the Water Agreements and whatever other bilateral dealing we have with M'sia have been made very clear by the SG Govt.

Mahathir knows his hands are tied by the agreements. Should Mahathir decide to unilaterally change or cancel any agreements, he is well aware that the consequences of such an action would be much more damaging to M'sia than to S'pore.

While S'pore may suffer some short-term losses/pain, Mahathir knows that he would have effectively destroyed all of M'sia's credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of the world. No one would dare to invest or do business with M'sia after that.

So let's all just be calm, carry on and let the SG Govt settle lah. World Cup is on now leh..

Lee Kuan Yew's quote reference: From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, 1965-2000, Volume 2 (See here)

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Nobody wants a trade war

Singapore’s prime minister: Nobody wants a trade war

By Lee Hsien Loong, for The Washington Post
18th April 2018

Lee Hsien Loong is the prime minister of Singapore.

Trade friction between China and the United States has been brewing for some time. But with the Trump administration’s announcement of unilateral tariffs on imports, targeted at China, the specter of a trade war has never been clearer.

There is broad political support in the United States for such measures. American businesses that had previously advocated China’s accession to the World Trade Organization now feel disadvantaged doing business in China. They feel, with some justification, that the playing field is uneven, market access is limited and investments are restricted, especially in the financial and technology sectors. Trade arrangements and concessions made in the past when China was about 5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product are less readily accepted today with China’s share rising to 15 percent.

But unilateral tariffs are not the correct solution. A trade war between the United States and China is far from inevitable, but if one breaks out, it will gravely undermine the rules-based multilateral system that has underpinned global prosperity since the end of World War II. Countries around the world, big and small, will be hurt.

We believe trade disputes should be resolved within the WTO framework. As economists have pointed out, when assessing economic relationships, what matters is not a country’s bilateral trade balance with a specific trading partner but its overall trade balance with the rest of the world.

Furthermore, the cause of a country’s trade deficit lies at home. A trade deficit is the result of a country consuming more than it produces, and it is neither caused nor cured by trade restrictions.
The United States and China share the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Both countries have benefited from an open, rules-based international order and multilateral trading system. This has fostered economic cooperation within the Asia-Pacific region and deepened interdependence among Asia, the United States, Europe and the rest of the world.

"A trade deficit is the result of a country consuming more than it produces, and it is neither caused nor cured by trade restrictions."

Asia is the fastest-growing export market for U.S. goods and services. As the world’s second-busiest port and fourth-largest financial center, Singapore is a global hub that connects the economies of the United States and Asia. We are a small, open economy with trade flows more than three times our GDP. A trade war between the two largest economies in the world will have a big, negative impact on Singapore.

Since China joined the WTO in 2001, its weight in the global economy and its share of world trade have grown enormously. This has shifted the overall strategic balance. It has also raised reasonable expectations for China to liberalize its markets further and contribute more to the multilateral trading system.

China has declared its commitment to upholding openness and multilateralism. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the “Belt and Road Initiative” are two major efforts by China to strengthen trade and investment ties, and to enhance integration and interdependence. At the recent Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, President Xi Jinping announced further plans to open up China’s financial sector, liberalize foreign investment rules, protect intellectual property rights and lower tariffs on automobile imports. These moves have been acknowledged and welcomed by President Trump. We look forward to seeing these steps elaborated, implemented and bearing fruit.

Although most Asia-Pacific countries continue to pursue trade and economic liberalization — for example, through the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership — these initiatives will not compensate for the damage caused by a trade war.

Beyond the economic loss, strained ties between the United States and China will make it harder for them to cooperate on other pressing issues such as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, regional security, nonproliferation and climate change. None of these issues can be solved without the full participation of both countries. If any of these disputes escalates and destabilizes relations between the United States and China, the consequences for the world would be disastrous.

Competition between the United States and China is to be expected. But whether this competition takes place within a framework of interdependence and generally accepted international rules makes all the difference. Ultimately, what is at stake is war and peace, and the security and stability of the world. The United States, China and the rest of the world have too much at stake.

This article was first published by The Washington Post.