Building a better and more sustainable future for everyone

Building a better and more sustainable future for everyone, while assiduously defending our way of life and what we have built over the years...

DPM Heng Swee Keat said:

COVID-19 is a clear and present danger, but it will fade at some point. On the other hand, the threat of climate change is existential, and will be with us for generations.

So even as we fight the virus, we are also building for the future.

And we must also defend what we have built up and our way of life. These efforts are highlighted in MINDEF’s and MHA’s Addenda.

But even as we build for tomorrow, we must help our people get through today, especially in sectors which are hardest-hit such as aviation and construction. We had earlier announced additional targeted measures to help these sectors through these difficult times.

Together, we can overcome this crisis and emerge to a brighter, greener and more resilient future.

The mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is to uphold Singapore’s independence and sovereignty

The mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is to uphold Singapore’s independence and sovereignty while advancing the interests of Singapore overseas and providing consular services to Singaporeans.

Even as we deal with the massive health, economic, and social impact of the pandemic, we need to maintain our engagement on the global stage.

COVID-19 has reinforced how important it is for Singapore to continue to play an active role internationally and deepen our interactions with key stakeholders and at multilateral fora.

The fight against COVID-19 is a global one and we cannot win it alone.

MFA's Addendum to the President's Address

Our ability to turn our economy around will depend on the strength of our tripartite partnerships

The close and unique tripartite relationship between government, employers and unions is our strength during a crisis. It has proven so in past crisis and in this current crisis of a generation, this tripartite relationship will stand us in good stead.

Instead of hostilities, the government work closely with unions and employers to protect jobs, create new jobs, create training opportunities and attachments. 👍👍💪💪

DPM Heng Swee Keat said:

We are doing all that we can to encourage job creation and provide training opportunities for jobseekers through the #SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package. In all, we have committed about $100 billion in the fight against COVID-19.

We are also redoubling our efforts to transform and grow our economy.

Doing so requires us to pull together a few critical pieces — from rejuvenating our industries through Industry Transformation Maps, to creating new value through innovation and R&D, and pathfinding the post-COVID world through the Emerging Stronger Taskforce.

This will be my key focus as Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.

Our ability to turn our economy around will depend on the strength of our tripartite partnerships, and I am grateful for the strong support of our Labour Movement, businesses and all stakeholders.

The journey ahead will not be easy, but our collective strength and our determination to build back better will see us through this crisis and enable us to emerge stronger.

Singapore continues to attract investments

Singapore continues to attract investments (like the recent ones from Kajima and Shell) because the PAP Government has over the years, built competitive advantages through a strong regulatory environment, an emphasis on skills training to build a skilled workforce, and deep connectivity.

Minister Chan Chun Sing assured Singaporeans that the government will continue to build on these advantages and get our fundamentals right so that Singapore continues to attract new investments creating good jobs for Singaporeans.

20 years' worth of surpluses burned to manage this crisis!

Imagine, if we didn't have a prudent government that does not squander surpluses away to make themselves popular.

Imagine if the government had given in to populist pressure from the opposition in Parliament to spend the reserves for recurrent needs.

Imagine if the government thought it was more important to do the popular thing than the prudent thing.

Last December, no one thought the world we have known for over 50 years would change.

No one expected a crisis to wipe out much of the progress we had made in the last 50 years.

No one knows when the next crisis will hit us. Or how many years' worth of budget surpluses we will need to burn to handle it.

But one thing is for sure.

Prudence will stand us in good stead and saving can only happen in good times.

In good times, we make small sacrifices and save for rainy days and raging storms.

Chan Chun Sing on raising the salary criteria for EP and S Pass holders: We want quality

The new rules to limit foreign worker visas won’t affect Singapore’s status as a business hub, Mr Chan said Friday in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin.

In another interview with CNA on Saturday, Mr Chan said: “The way to interpret the recent changes is this, we are making a move towards quality, rather than quantity … and this is what we have done progressively over the years.

“Whenever the economic conditions require it, we will progressively adjust the qualifying salaries for the foreign employees coming into Singapore because 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.”

He added: in doing this, we raise the headroom for Singaporeans to compete while at the same time, it doesn’t affect the really top tier of talent that we want to attract from the world.

A strong defence is necessary for economic development to take place in peace and stability.

A strong defence is necessary for economic development to take place in peace and stability. That's the simple truth.

What we cannot defend is not ours.

We worked hard to achieve racial and religious harmony. It is not a given.

We worked hard to achieve racial and religious harmony. It is not a given. We didn't have it in the beginning.

We achieve this pleasant state of affairs through provisions, interventions and regulations - the ethnic quota for HDB flats, the GRC system, laws against hate speech and a rotation of the head of state to reflect our multiracial composition and to signal to the world that we are a multiracial society.

This is a state of affairs not to be taken for granted, but to be maintained through constant efforts.

Every free trade agreement is a judgement call

We are an open economy by necessity. We are a small country by physical reality.

A small country highly dependent on trade makes us vulnerable to anti-trade measures like tariffs. As a small country, our negotiating power is small and being small, we do not have many weapons in our disposal to retaliate in a trade war.

This is why Singapore adopts a rules-based approach to trade and international affairs and support multilateral institutions.

Post-Covid world is a changed world

A changed world. For people who spend their time complaining about foreign talents taking away their jobs, here's the new reality.

The old world that had allowed Singapore to prosper for the last 50 years will not come back.

COVID-19 has shown that remote working and automation are possible.

What this means for Singaporeans is that you can now seize global opportunities outside of Singapore.

The converse is also true. The foreign talents need not be physically here to compete with you for jobs.

Through tools like the Fair Consideration Framework, the government will ensure a Singaporean core in local businesses and businesses based here.

But with remote workiong, you can expand your imagination and possibilities by improving and upgrading yourself and compete for jobs that are out of Singapore.

Once-in-a-lifetime changes. We need to move forward together.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said:

We are seeing major once-in-a-lifetime changes. The sino-US relationship, technology, Covid-19, generational shifts in Singapore - converging at one point in time.

So change is a must for Singapore and for the Government. It is not just about spending more money here and there, although some of that will always be necessary, but how to do things differently.

For example, in my last role (as education minister), reducing exams and phasing out streaming were not major-expenditure projects.

Neither is reopening Singapore in order to rebuild our aviation hub and therefore our economy. I believe every MP can contribute to this discussion and I look forward to hearing their views next week.

This is the PAP Government's commitment to Singaporeans.

This is the PAP Government's commitment to Singaporeans. We will not just survive. We will stay exceptional. 

Grow a new generation of companies: Chan Chun Sing

More support for start-ups. 

They play a critical role in our economy.- as catalysts for innovation, and in spurring new developments and opportunities. In doing so, they create a pipeline not just of products and services, but of jobs and ideas, Trade & Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said.

"As we build a new economy in a COVID-19 world, we are determined to grow a new generation of companies from Singapore. Every crisis presents opportunities for us to do so. This crisis is no different." 

To survive we need to keep our borders open

COVID-19 has hamstrung and crippled us. It drives home the reality of being a very small city state. Unlike big countries with a big domestic economy, we are too small to sustain ourselves. We have to remain open and connected to the world.

As Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said, the road that we travel is not made by nature. It is carved by hand.

Together, we can forge a new way forward. 

Now, you understand why the government wanted to hold the election at the earliest possible time. A long runway, friends, is needed to deal with this crisis. The election was about Singapore's future. 

Ong Ye Kung: Changi Airport will one day be full again, SIA planes will once again soar.

We used to record over 1,000 aircraft movements a day, now it is about 150. We were the 7th busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger traffic, but have dropped to 50th. Worse, we have no domestic air travel to fall back on. ..

As colleagues from Changi Airport told me, COVID-19 set us back by at least 40 years, to 1981 when Terminal One first opened. But there is a big difference between then and now.

In the early 1980s, many airlines had not decided to come to Changi. We went all out to secure airlines, including unilaterally opening up our skies to invite the carriers to come to Changi.

Today, the airlines are here, and Changi has grown into a world-class airport.

Our challenge is to restore passenger volume, while keeping virus transmission under control. The circumstances are different, but we need the same hunger and enterprise as we had in the early 1980s.

A good place to start are the countries and territories where the virus transmission risk profiles are similar to or better than ours. Including transfer-transit traffic, they account for about 40% of our pre-COVID-19 passenger volumes.

But passenger volumes cannot be turned on and off capriciously.

We need to take sensible measures concurrently, proportionate to the risk profile of each country, and make progressive steps as we become more confident.

For example, we can consider unilaterally opening up to passengers from certain countries or regions which have kept the virus under control.

We can proliferate Reciprocal Green Lanes for business travel, and also expand them for general travel.

Serving 14-days isolation is a major deterrent to travelers, and we may have to consider replacing this with a rigorous testing regime.

Health and economic considerations are not at odds – we will find ways to revive our air hub and keep Singapore safe.

On my second day at MOT I visited Changi Airport. The management received me at Terminal Two, closed due to COVID-19.

Beautiful bougainvillea plants used to line the entrances to the departure hall, but on that day, the plants were all withered.

I asked Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang why. He said the Terminal has been closed, and they had to save costs, including on plant maintenance. He added “But bougainvillea are hardy, and they will live.”

I did what a gardener friend taught me and used my nails to scratch the bark of one of the withered plants. Indeed, underneath the dried brown bark, was a bright green stem. If the plant had a heart, it was still pumping strong.

When it comes to the fate of Singapore, the following truth holds: To survive, we have to keep our borders open. To thrive, we have to connect to the world. To prosper, we have to be a hub of the global economy.

Hence MOT’s mission – building the physical connections that bring Singaporeans together, the world to Singapore, and Singapore to the world.

COVID-19 has decimated air travel and incapacitated one of our lungs, but the Singapore heart – our determination, dynamism and enterprise – is still pumping strong. Changi Airport will one day be full again, SIA planes will once again soar. This is our collective mission in the coming months and years ahead, as we await the blooming of the bougainvillea once again.

-Excerpt of Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung's National Day Message to Mot. 

Tough decisions will have to be made: Chan Chun Sing

𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

Mr Chan said tough decisions will have to be made on how to help companies - particularly those that will not see demand return in the medium term - tide over the pandemic and pivot into new product and new markets.

“For example people in the social entertainment industry, until and unless we can come up with a new model of how we can do business safely in this COVID-19 environment, it’d be very difficult for us so imagine them coming back online like what they used to do in the previous operating model.”

Mr Chan added that it can be difficult for some entrepreneurs to come to terms with the changing world after spending much time and effort building up their businesses, but he said the Government will be committed to helping them pivot to new markets and products.

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

As global companies reshuffle their global footprints of production and supply chains, we need to make sure that some of them will land in Singapore, Mr Chan said.

“At the same time, we must make sure that we continue to defend the regional HQs (headquarters) and factories that have been planted here so that we can retain the jobs for our people, as many as possible,” he added.

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋

While external demand and surges of infections in other parts of the world are not within our control, within our own borders, we can reopen our economy in a safe and sustainable way by not being complacent.

"If we can open safely and sustainably, we will be able to progressively recover from the third and fourth quarter this year,” Mr Chan said. 

Workers' Party: AHTC should not be allowed to have a second bite at the cherry

The INDEPENDENT PANEL acting on behalf of AHTC has applied to the Courts to add amendments to the claims against Pritam Singh and four others.

The application was made in May 2020.

WP, TOWN COUNCILLORS OBJECT TO AMENDMENTS

They said AHTC "has offered no explanation as to why these new claims could not have been made earlier".

They also asserted that the town council "should not be allowed a to have a second bite at the cherry by amending its pleadings to suit the judgment.

In this battle between Workers' Party and the town council, the judges will decide if the town council/residents will have a second bite of the cherry.

Notes:
The Independent Panel acting on behalf of the town council was appointed by Mr Pritam Singh.

Workers' Party's million-dollar salary for ministers

Our ministers' million-dollar-salary is the broad and blunt tool of many an opposition supporter who draws it out of their toolkit as a final resort to hammer and smash everything in the way when left with no other alternative response.

But hey! Hold your fire (or hammering) as the WP had also proposed million-dollar salary for ministers.

"If there were a Workers' Party government in power today, 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 the Workers' Party minister would be paid essentially the same as what a minister today is paid. 𝐌𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭," Mr Teo Chee Hean said in parliament in 2018.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐏'𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐋?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐏 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟖𝟏 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭.

This means the WP would have paid out a higher portion of the salary - about $880,000 out of $1.1 million, 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐏 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝.

In contrast, the White Paper proposed a lower fixed component of 65% and a higher variable component of 35%.

The variable component depends on the performance of the minister and the achievement of national outcomes and the state of the economy.

.
Notes:
In 2012, the WP had proposed a salary that is pegged to 5x the monthly salary of a civil servant at the MX9 grade.

In 2012, the mid-point of the MX9 salary range was $13,560. The annual salary proposed by WP would comprised 13-months fixed component and a norm bonus of 3 months.

When can you save for rainy days? Not when the rainy day is here.

When can you save for rainy days? Not when the rainy day is here.

You save when times are good. You can never save enough because you don't know how long a rainy day can last.

When times are good, it is tempting to dip into the coffers and enjoy. But it is unwise.

Think of the future and your children's future. We must always be able to focus our eyes on the present while also keeping them on the horizon.

Populism will lead you down the road to ruin. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Keeping the healthcare system intact: Philippines reported 5000 cases in one day.

Philippines reported 5000 cases in one day.

In a letter to President Duterte, healthcare workers said, "The health sector cannot hold the line for much longer We are waging a losing battle against Covid-19."

"Our healthcare system has been overwhelmed," they said, adding that many doctors and nurses were resigning "because of fear, fatigue, and poor working conditions".

We need a consolidated action plan, they said.

Addressing them, Mr Duterte said: "We are aware that you are tired. But we don't have anywhere else to go. You were the ones who have the education, the know-how. You tell us about your agony, and you tell us you're ready to quit. I plead with you, 'Please don't'. Our countrymen need you."

In Singapore, our healthcare has remain intact because the government has responded with a strategy to build tiered care facilities, isolated the old and those with medical conditions, rapidly increased the ICU beds and more.

For all the fear mongering, more than 3 weeks have gone by since polling on 10 July and no one who voted got infected with COVID-19.

Many - from the ministerial taskforce to Singaporeans and even migrant workers - have worked very hard to keep everyone safe.

Give credit where credit is due. Kudos to all of them.

All measures are already in place. From here on, whether we succeed in beating COVID-19 depends on you and I and how we play our part.