Water is Precious. EVERY DROP COUNTS. Don't waste it!

This should be our concern today.

Currently, water from Johor River helps to meet half of Singapore’s water needs before we become self-sufficient in 2060.

The water plant in Johore cannot treat saltwater.

The Linggiu Reservoir, built in 1994, enables Singapore to reliably draw water from the Johor River by releasing water into the river to prevent saltwater intrusion from the sea into the river.

However, the water level at Linggiu Reservoir in Johor has been rapidly falling to historic lows, raising the possibility that Singapore would be unable to import any water.

At the start of last year, the water level was about 80%. Eight months later it receded to 54.5%. It dropped to 43% in November last year. Last week it was 36.9%. This week it fell to a new historic low of 35%.

While Singapore and Malaysia enjoy good relations and have a treaty in place, Professor Asit Biswas, distinguished visiting professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) noted that the supply of water from Johor can by no means be taken for granted.

Prof Biswas, who won the Stockholm Water Prize — considered the water industry’s Nobel Prize — a decade ago, noted that there is a high probability of the region experiencing a serious drought in the coming decades.

And if that happens, “would the politicians and people (in Malaysia) be willing to send that water to Singapore or say it’s an act of God, they really cannot send water and they need to use it themselves? I don’t know”, he said.

Source: Today

A Poem by Edwin Thumboo on Mrs Lee Kuan Yew

I knew Mrs Lee Kuan Yew slightly, enough to know her genuine deep kindness. She took the trouble to return my mugshot and fingerprints taken by the Criminal Investigation Department in May 1954.

I was on the editorial board of the University of Malaya's University Socialist Club newsletter Fajar ("dawn"). The British colonial authorities charged eight of us with sedition over an article in Fajar.

We were defended by Mr D.N. Pritt, Queen's Counsel, assisted by Mr Lee Kuan Yew. There was absolutely no reason for her to have done so. But that is the measure of the lady.

- Edwin Thumboo

K Shanmugam: No soft approach to drugs

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam told world leaders at the United Nations that the city state will not soften its drug policies, pushing back against calls from some nations to change its approach to dealing with drugs.

Mr Shanmugam said he was unmoved by the rhetoric he had heard at the meeting. He stressed that Singapore would stick with its approach until there is evidence that a different model works better.
"We are not very impressed with rhetoric alone. Good speeches are one thing. Enjoying safety and security, to the level I have identified - letting your 10-year-old child take public transport alone - that is different."

"I say to anyone with a different view - come forward. I am prepared to compare our experiences with any city that you choose. Show us a model that works better, that delivers a better outcome for citizens, and we will consider changing. If that cannot be done, then don't ask us to change," he added.

Mr Shanmugam rejected the dichotomy presented between human rights and oppression.

"Maybe this rhetoric is based on the experiences in some countries. To us, it sounds like a lot of straw man arguments. Because it's not based on facts."

He stressed that there was a middle road between "locking everyone up, treating them as criminals, and feeding them with drugs".

"It is possible to work with drug abusers to rehabilitate them. This is difficult and resource-intensive. But because every life is important, we do that. Legalising and giving abusers drugs is the easier option. But not the better one," he added.

"You wouldn't knowingly and happily give drugs to your teenage children, would you? You might accept it and deal with it if they abuse drugs. But you wouldn't voluntarily give it. So let's be clear about the harmful effects of drugs," he said.

And while Mr Shanmugam noted the need for a global consensus on how to tackle the drug problem, he also said that every country has the right to choose the approach that works best for it.

"For us, the choice is clear. We want a drug-free Singapore, not a drug-tolerant Singapore," he said.

Source: ST

PM Lee in Jerusaleum: ties between the people of Israel and Singapore

Speaking at the ceremony at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he receives an honorary doctorate, PM Lee noted that ties between the people of Israel and Singapore began long before both became independent.

The earliest Jews in Singapore arrived in the 19th century, mostly from the Middle East, and their descendants have contributed out of proportion to their numbers in the country. Among them Singapore's first chief minister David Marshall.

Mr Lee noted that renowned physicist Albert Einstein visited Singapore in 1922 , met the local Jewish community and urged them to contribute to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which was set up in 1918 and opened its doors in 1925.

The Jewish people in Singapore raised some £750 - worth about S$400,000 today. Israel, he added, reflects a remarkable human talent and "the indomitable spirit to overcome overwhelming odds" - from irrigating the desert to revolutionary advances in technology.

PM Lee expressed the hope that Israel and the Palestinians will take steps to resume direct negotiations and work towards a just and lasting two-state solution.

Speaking at the ceremony at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he receives an honorary doctorate, PM Lee expressed the hope that Israel and the Palestinians will take steps to resume direct negotiations and work towards a just and lasting two-state solution.

Mr Lee noted that the Israeli-Palestinian problem is complex, and a solution remains elusive.
"Progress will require enormous imagination, determination and political leadership on both sides - as well as getting the stars aligned, in the right places in the firmament, with the great powers supporting you," he said. 

This is why he was also visiting the Palestinian National Authority in Ramallah this week "to signal our friendship with both Israel and the Palestinians", he added.

He also noted that the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew once told an Israeli general who helped start the SAF that Singapore learnt two things from Israel: "How to be strong, and how not to use our strength."

PM Lee said he was also moved by former Israeli PM Shimon Peres' vision, in a recent interview, of Israel in 2048 - 100 years after its founding. Mr Peres believes 2048 will be much better for Israel and the Middle East, where borders will become less relevant and science and technology will transform societies, connect peoples and force them to become more open-minded to the world.

"Today, such a Middle East looks a long way off - more distant even than 2048," Mr Lee said. "But I sincerely hope that one day, Mr Peres' vision will be realised. Swords will be turned to ploughshares, Israel and your neighbours will live side by side in peace and prosperity, and your friends in Singapore and around the world will rejoice with you too."

Source: ST

PM Lee called on Israel and Palestine to resume negotiations

"We are friends with both Israel and Palestine. We hope that you will be able to resume negotiations and make progress towards a just and durable solution to a longstanding and complex conflict," PM Lee Hsien Loong said in a short speech.

"We hope to see a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security one day."

He was speaking at an official ceremony at the Israeli Prime Minister's Office where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Netanyahu,speaking before Mr Lee, said the visit reflected a "coming of age" between the two countries, which he said were "both small nations that leave a very large imprint on the world scene" and anchors of stability in their respective regions.

Mr Netanyahu also said he greatly admired the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, "one of the great statesmen of the 20th century who laid solid foundations for your country, but who also taught many of us the idea of economic vision and enterprise that was put to test, and is now the great success that Singapore is."

Israel and Singapore are working together in areas from water management to biotechnology, he noted, adding that "innovation and technology are key to seizing the future".

PM Lee is the first Prime Minister from Singapore to visit Israel.

He last visited Israel in 1977 when he was a young army officer accompanying then-chief of general staff Winston Choo, who is now Singapore's Ambassador to Israel.

Source:ST

In first visit ever by Singapore PM, leader thanks Israel for defense aid over the years

Lee Hsien Loong calls on Israel and the Palestinians during his speech at Hebrew University to resume direct negotiations. 

Lee Hsien Loong arrived in Israel on Monday for a four-day visit, the first ever visit to Israel by a Singaporean prime minister.

During a speech at the Hebrew University where he received an honorary doctorate, Lee noted with gratitude the defense aid and advice Singapore has received from Israel over the years.

“In August 1965, when Singapore unexpectedly became independent, the Israel Defense Forces helped us to develop the Singapore Armed Forces,” he said. “We asked a number of countries, but only Israel responded to us, and it did so very promptly.

“Without the IDF, the SAF could not have grown its capabilities, deterred threats, defended our island, and reassured Singaporeans and investors that Singapore was secure and had a future,” he said. “We will always be grateful that Israel helped us and stood by us at our time of great need.”

Israel and Singapore established diplomatic ties in 1969 and in recent years the country has emerged as a significant trading partner for the Jewish state.

For instance, in 2015 the countries conducted some $1.35 billion of trade, which was more trade than Israel did that year with all but eight of the 28 EU countries, including Sweden, Austria, Denmark and Portugal.

Lee is accompanied by his wife, Ho Ching, and a 60-member delegation, including his foreign minister and environment and water resources minister. The current prime minister is the son of Singapore’s founder, Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee arrived Monday from Jordan via the Allenby Bridge, received the honorary doctorate at the Hebrew University, and toured the capital’s Old City. He is set to go to the Temple Mount on Wednesday.

The prime minister is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, and on Wednesday spend about three hours of his four-day trip in Ramallah, where he will meet with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

Lee called on Israel and the Palestinians during his speech at the Hebrew University, to resume direct negotiations.

“Progress will require enormous imagination, determination and political leadership on both sides, as well as getting the stars aligned in the right places in the firmament, with the great powers supporting you,” he said.

Lee paid homage during his speech to Singapore’s small Jewish community, which began in the 19th century with Jews who immigrated from Iraq, and today numbers some 2,500. He recalled how Albert Einstein visited Singapore in 1922 to encourage the Jewish community to donate to the establishment of the Hebrew University, and that he won the Nobel Prize in physics a week later.

On Sunday, in advance of the premier’s visit, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding relating to joint training programs they will provide to professionals from developing countries.

The first course was already held in Singapore in November, bringing 20 professionals from the Pacific and the Caribbean for a course on public health. The next seminar will be held in Israel next month, bringing 15 trainees from Africa for a course dealing with the empowerment of women.

 http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/In-first-visit-ever-by-Singapore-PM-leader-thanks-Israel-for-defense-aid-over-the-years-451621

 

PM Lee Hsien Loong met Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah of the Palestinian National Authority

RAMALLAH: Singapore will help the Palestinian Territories in capacity-building, by doubling its Enhanced Technical Assistance Package from S$5 million to S$10 million.

This was announced on Wednesday (Apr 20) after Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Ramallah.

Singapore will also share its experience in vocational and skills training with the Palestinians. Mr Hamdallah thanked Singapore for its help, as education is a key focus for his people.

During the meeting, Mr Hamdallah briefed the Singapore delegation about the situation in the Palestinian Territories. Mr Hamdallah also reaffirmed the PNA's commitment to the two-state solution to the Middle East crisis.

Mr Lee encouraged the PNA to resume talks, to find a just and durable peace with Israel and Palestinians living side-by-side.

Mr Lee was hosted to lunch by Mr Hamdallah, where he conveyed warm greetings from President Mahmoud Abbas who is overseas. Prime Minister Lee also invited Mr Hamdallah to visit Singapore, which the latter accepted. Mr Lee also reiterated the standing invitation for President Abbas to visit Singapore.

As part of his trip to Ramallah, Mr Lee visited the Mausoleum of Arafat, where he laid a wreath at the site in honour of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

PM Lee called on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin

JERUSALEM: PM Lee Hsien Loong called on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday afternoon (Apr 20).

During the meeting, Mr Lee and President Rivlin reaffirmed the long-standing and close relations between the two countries.

PM Lee also expressed his appreciation to President Rivlin for his presence in Singapore at the State Funeral of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in March last year.

Earlier, leader of the Israeli opposition, Isaac Herzog, called on PM Lee in Jerusalem.

They exchanged views on developments in Israel and the region. Mr Herzog agreed that the two-state solution to the MidEast conflict remains the only viable option to achieve a just and durable peace for Israel and the Palestinians.

PM Lee Hsien Loong's visit to Israel

"This is truly a historic occasion. I'm honored to be the first Israeli prime minister to welcome a prime minister of Singapore to our country....We are small nations that leave a very large imprint on the world scene" ~ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Netanyahu is also a great admirer of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

A historic moment like this is also a good occasion to understand how it is possible.

A country is like a bird that needs two wings to fly, the domestic wing and the external wing of foreign relations. And both wings are needed in order to fly.

Today Singapore can punch above her weight because of economic success at home as well as success in our foreign policies abroad.

This success did not come by chance. Nor should it be taken for granted. It is the result of integrity, hard work and competence, and good, strong governance with integrity first.

LKY once said that a small nation must seek the maximum number of friends while maintaining the freedom to be itself as a sovereigh and independent nation.

Seeking the maximum number of friends in a world of conflicts is not an easy thing to do and requires adroit diplomatic skills.

Quote:
"Small countries have little power to alter the region, let alone the world. A small country must seek a maximum number of friends, while maintaining the freedom to be itself as a sovereign and independent nation. Both parts of the equation - maximum number of friends and freedom to be ourselves - are equally important and interrelated. Friendship, in international relations, is not a function of goodwill or personal affection. We must make ourselves relevant so that other countries have an interest in our continued survival and prosperity as a sovereign and independent nation. Singapore cannot take its relevance for granted. Small countries perform no vital or irreplaceable functions in the international system. Singapore has to continually reconstruct itself and keeps its relevance to the world and to create political and economic space. This is the economic imperative for Singapore." - LKY, 2009

Gratitude for Mr Lee Kuan Yew is not hero worship.

Published in Zaobao. 

Gratitude for Lee Kuan Yew is not hero worship

Effective laws needed to deal with the threat of terrorism

To deal with the threat of terrorism, we must have effective laws with teeth to bite. Otherwise it can become a losing game.

We learn from PM Lee Hsien Loong's interview with Wall Street Journal that Indonesia does not have laws to deal with citizens who want to go to the Middle East. They cannot stop any Indonesian from doing so. They also do not have laws that allow them to detain people verified to have intentions to carry out terrorist activities.

 

Excerpt from interview:

The Indonesians also have a very serious problem. They have maybe 500, maybe more, who are in the Middle East. They go up on ‘hijrah’, that means they actually migrate there and bring their women and children along with them to participate in this. Some come back, some more want to go, sometimes, they are stopped. Nothing can be done about those who want to go in Indonesia because their laws do not cover this. We have stopped several who have come through Singapore to whitewash their travel records, in order to make it to the Middle East undetected. We have picked them up, verified their intentions, sent them back to Indonesia, told the Indonesians. The Indonesians picked them up, verified it, sent them back to the village and let them go! There is nothing more they can do. So, they will try again and some will get through. - PM Lee Hsien Loong

Extension of benefits to unwed mothers

Unwed mothers will have something to smile about.

They will get the same 16-week maternity leave that other mothers get and their children will also be given a Child Development Account, which helps pay for childcare and healthcare needs.

The announcement was made by Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin on Tuesday (April 12).

The maternity leave benefits will kick in from early next year as Parliament "will need to amend legislation to make this happen", said Mr Tan.

But children born to unwed mothers will likely be included in the Child Development Account scheme from the third-quarter of 2016, he added.

Explaining the changes, Mr Tan said: "I feel that we can do more to support their efforts to care for their children, and reduce the disadvantages that their children may face at birth."

He added: "I, too, am sympathetic to this group. Unwed parents may be vulnerable if they are younger and lower-educated. Some may have been rejected by their own families. It can be difficult to raise a child single-handedly, without family support. Some may have hoped to have a child within marriage, but ended up as unwed parents by circumstances."

Currently, unwed mothers are entitled to eight weeks of paid maternity leave and their children do not qualify for Child Development Accounts.

Source: The Straits Times

Walking Time-Bombs

Back in December 2013 right after the Little India riot, many with the benefit of hindsight asked if it was an accident waiting to happen given the size of the crowd, the long queues of people waiting for their buses and the narrow roads. Could it have been prevented?

Fast forward to 2016, with history on the side, in Parliament, MP Denise Phua referred to the crowd that has once again reached pre-riot level and registered her concern that this could lead to incidents waiting to happen.

Notwithstanding her choice of words, one would expect people to appreciate that someone is keeping an eye on the situation and raising awareness of its potential to get out of order. No?

After all, who wants a repeat of 2013? And do we not learn from history?

The overwhelming reactions to Dennis Phua's 'walking time-bombs' make you wonder how much of these reactions is deliberate with an agenda.

Take the 'reaction' from The Independent Singapore (TISG) for example. The exaggerations in the article is but an attempt to pour oil to fire.

It began with "Has absolutely nothing been learnt by her with regards to the Little Indian riots that happened not so long ago?"

TISG claims that segregation was one of the causes of the 2013 riot. Really?

We check the COI's Report on the riot and 'segregation' is not listed in it. Do you know of any segregation of residents and workers in Little India that led to the 2013 riot?

Dennis Phua is NOT even asking for a segregation of workers from residents. She is asking for some communal space like playgrounds and void deck space to be returned to children and the elderly to use.
Don't the children and the elderly who live in Little India deserve some consideration?

There are public spaces that are 'cordoned off' by law and no one cries foul over it and calls it segregation or questions the meaning of 'public space' like the way TISG does it.

For example, the law stipulates where you can smoke and where you cannot - in public. You may not see a literal fence, but there are areas that are marked as 'non-smoking' zones. This is not segregation. This is about managing the use of public spaces so that everyone can enjoy themselves.
.
TISG went on to say:
[By all means build more facilities for them but building more facilities for them does not mean that you limit their freedom of travel within the country. That is as preposterous as it is misguidedly elitist. Has Ms Phua in her snobbery, mistaken workers for criminals? Or can she not tell the difference?]
.
.
Does this even make sense to you? Did Dennis Phua call for workers' travel within Singapore to be limited? Did TISG just put words into Dennis Phua's mouth? Did TISG also ignore the fact that Dennis Phua also called for regular dialogues that includes the foreign workers?
.
If this is not bad enough, TISG then asserted that the views of Dennis Phua can "trigger a massive foreign affairs faux pas with the countries that these foreign workers are from". Goodness! The exaggeration just to make a case. Haha. And this is an article that is pinned to the top. Does Leon Perera believe this?

On a positive note, we completely agree with TISG that it is "also important to stress that we need foreign labour to build and maintain our infrastructure which is a vital component to our economic success."

Perhaps Leon Perera who runs TISG will relay a very strong message to Workers' Party that we need foreign workers. After all, while it is good to 'promote female and elderly labour participation' (Manifesto 2015), we really cannot expect women and our grandparents to build infrastructure.

What is that Singaporean Core?

When a mainstream media gets its headline wrong, all hell breaks loose.

It's proof that many do not read beyond the headline. And of course there are also the opportunists who deliberately refuse to understand.

So what did Chan Chun Sing say? He said that the Singapore Core (or Singaporean core if you like) does not mean an all-Singaporean workforce.

Let's pause to understand. He isn't saying anything strange or outrageous.

DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam had said previously that the government's target is to cap foreign workers in our workforce at 1/3 of the total workforce.

Lim Swee Say said before the general election last year that the government will ensure that the Singaporean core in our workforce remained at 2/3 of the total workforce.

Thus, what Chan Chun Sing has said is in harmony and agreement with Tharman and Lim Swee Say.

Singapore Core Or Singaporean Core?

 

If you're stuck at whether Chan Chun Sing said 'Singapore Core' or 'Singaporean Core', and are debating whether the word is 'Singapore' or 'Singaporean', then you have completely missed what he said.

FOR THE RECORD, Chan Chun Sing said 'Singapore Core'. In fact if you had listened to his speech, he used the phrase 'Singapore Core' 7 times.

BUT IF he had used the phrase 'Singaporean core' instead of 'Singapore core', it wouldn't have made any difference to his speech.

 

WHAT HE DID NOT SAY

Chan Chun Sing did not say that this CORE includes foreigners.

If you thought that he said this core includes foreigners, it's because you have been misled by headlines, which we all know from experience can be terribly atrocious, like THIS ONE from TODAY:

Singaporean core does not mean S’poreans only, says Chun Sing

 

LESSON FOR US?

Read beyond the headlines.

 

WHAT CHAN CHUN SING DID SAY

He said that a Singapore core does not mean an all-Singaporean workforce.

He said that the Singapore core cannot be defined as an 'exclusive and inward-looking perspective'. He was speaking of an ATTITUDE.

 

WHAT WE UNDERSTAND FROM HIS SPEECH

He cautioned against the 'Singaporeans only' attitude in developing a Singapore core. We cannot develop a strong Singapore core by insisting on an all-Singaporean WORKFORCE. We strengthen and empower our Singapore core by learning from the best in the world. To do that, we cannot adopt an 'exclusive and inward-looking perspective' that seeks to exclude foreign talents. How can we learn from the best if we exclude them?

We learn from the best either by including them in our workforce or by going out to the outside world and learn from them and then bring home that valuable experience.

So did Chan Chun Sing say that the Singapore core includes foreigners? The answer is NO.

You can substitute the phrase 'Singapore core' in all that is written above with 'Singaporean core' and the meaning of the text is still the same.

WP MP Faisal Manap - Why no Malay in Navy.

Razak Ali

April 8 at 12:31pm · 

 

I being seeing this topic appeaing….appearing….appearing….

WP MP Faisal Manap - Why No Malay in Navy.

I feel many have over reacted regardless whether which position or group they are at.

Being an ex-military personnel serving two decade of service in a classified unit perhaps i share my story.

Majority of Malays who enters SAF are majority are NSF means they will only serve about 1 year plus which means the rest of the time they will be serving in their basic and skills courses. While the SAF regulars (signed on) have a bigger pool of Chinese and Indian coming in.

Also most Malays cepat patah hati.

I have about 5 Malay friends together with me who applied to be regulars. We went to CMPB which was in Tanglin. Since we got nothing to do after studies.

“Bros, si A je dapat kita tak dapat. Apa kata kita apply sekali lagi nak tak?”
B said “ Jangan buang masa lah kita Melayu. Dia orang taknak tengok kita lah X”
C adds “ Sudahlah dari aku buang masa nak jadi askar lebih baik aku kerja pat PSA je. Kerja relak takyah nak fikir2 nak ippt lah soc lah range lah. Buang2 masa jugak seh bro”
D said “ Ini takdir Tuhan. Kita Cuma merancang”
Then few minutes later, A joined us. “Eh bros, sorry lah aku rasa aku taknak lah join SAF. Dia cakap aku kena post overseas for satu ke dua tahun ah. Takmo ah. Nanti GF aku lari camne?”

We all laughed at one another.

Then came enlistment, I was posted somewhere in the east while the rest of them served in various units.

I am so determine that I need to be a regular as I want to be in the uniform group.

I approached my OC. “Sir, I want to sign on.” His reply “If you have to die for Singapore will you die?” My answered “YES SIR!” He wrote me a 2 page testimonial after knowing me for 1 year, He then told me. Approached your manpower officer with that and tell him it’s from me. Days later I got news that I was granted being a regular. Soon later everything crumbled. My dad passed away due to heart failure. The only mean to survive was to be a regular and not to cock it up.

I then met with the rest of my friends who we applied as a regular together. They seem to be more interested in girls, motorbikes & trends. I asked “Eh kau orang tak nak jadi regular ke?” Their reply is almost the same. “Bro, malas ah”

They would rather not push for it instead they just biarkan pada takdir.

I was holding various appointments and was in various camps.

One shocking discovery I was undergoing underwater demolition course. My course warrant has the same name as my grandfather. He was a Malay and very garang. No nonsense man. NDU cookhouse was halal when I had training. I always look forward for Thursday lunch as the chefs who are navy warrants will cook nasi briyani. Graduated from the course and back to my unit.

I met up with my friends. Again I asked if they are still keen to join the SAF as I am willing to help them. They used to have this referral scheme where you can get someone be a regular you get $100. ($100 those days are A LOT OF MONEY)

Their answers were the same and they are not focus. So just trying their luck and their attitude is dapat2 kalau tak dapat2 it’s ok.

Then came we were tasked to a Middle East country. A familiar handsome Malay pilot who was a child actor was piloting the kc plane. We spend days chatting and even cooking for one another during our tour of duty.

In my 2 decade of service I have seen many Malays who are inside the forces. I can safely say this Malays who are there not because they are Malays because they earn to be where they are.
It’s a progress based on individual, that many have asked and the government is giving but based on what?

Should we give Malays just because Malays wants or should we give the Malay based on merits he deserve.

By the way, one thing WP MP is wrong. There are Malays in the navy just that there are there deployed in other appointments and job scope.

Also I emphasis and share this short story of mine not belittling anyone just to also share some weakness in the community.

Melayu suka patah hati. We must stop this mindset and go beyond our limits.

Salam Jumaat

Chan Chun Sing called for a sectoral approach to raise productivity

To overcome the lacklustre productivity gains seen, Labour Chief Chan Chun Sing called for a united approach to re-examine mindsets and methods, including looking at job design.

“We got to go sectorally, to examine where are the laggards in our productivity drive. How best can we help them to uplift the productivity in their respective sectors?” he said.

“We either do this or we pretend that some broad macro measures will miraculously lift the productivity of all. I don’t believe that. I’ve visited enough companies to know that no two companies are the same.”

Recognising that raising productivity requires winning over workers, and retraining them according to their capabilities, Mr Chan pledged the labour movement’s commitment to work with the various ministries to “do this well”. 

 Source: CNA

Chan Chun Sing explains how the Singapore workers will be helped

The economy is undergoing both a cyclical as well as a fundamental, structural slowdown in which consumer habits and production patterns change, Chan Chun Sing said in Parliament on Monday (Apr 4).

The Singapore workforce will need to be adaptive to avoid structural unemployment in this slowdown. 

He cited the example of a retail worker who has been displaced due to e-commerce or online shopping.

"The problem is not the total number of jobs available in the economy. The real question is: How do we help the person who is displaced at the retail line get into another job that has been created? It will be too far-fetched to expect someone who is displaced at the retail scene to be able - with minimal training - to go into the e-commerce space of data management space," hes said.

To ensure minimal structural unemployment, he said the labour movement will work closely with employers and the Government.

"At this point in time, we are at a critical juncture of our economic transformation. How do we restructure our industries to create the jobs of the future? How do we ramp up the capacity to upskill our workers to equip them with the skills of the future?" he said.

He highlighted 3 key ways in which workers can be supported. These are:

1. Provide career guidance. Counselling to be redoubled. An announcement from the NTUC and Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) can be expected later in the year.

2.  The Government will make sure relevant courses are available so that workers can utilize and maximize their SkillsFuture credit.

3.  There will be a "second-skilling" of workers, especially those past 40, to ensure that they are equipped in the event of a retrenchment. 



Source: CNA

He cares for Singapore, so he will choose the best person for the job regardless of nationality.

Edmund Koh will choose the best person for the job, regardless of nationality.

Singapore has "swung too much" towards prioritising the hiring of local over foreign talent, says Edmund Koh, Swiss private bank UBS' Asia-Pacific head of wealth management.

"First and foremost I am very proud to be a Singaporean," he said.

"But I'm also acutely aware that we should not overplay that, because being a cosmopolitan city and being an international hub, we need to... be pragmatic and realistic about what our requirements are."
In short, he said, an international financial hub requires international talent.

"In banking there's one thing that's very important and that is affinity-built trust," he noted.

For example, he said, if an Italian client interested in investing in China were to approach a bank in Singapore, he would be ill-served by an adviser who does not really know Italian culture, or how to build a relationship with someone from Milan, versus someone from Rome.

"Remember, because of that kind of deal flow that comes to Singapore, we create more banking jobs. If you are so myopic and keep thinking it has to be local, local, local, we lose that element of internationalising, of being truly an international centre," he said.

"Yes, I'm a champion for Singaporeans. Once a very wise man told me: 'Ed, we must never forget to plant our own timber.' Yes, we plant our own timber. We should. But if you need to supplement it, if you need to buy an orchard, then you buy it."

To be sure, Mr Koh has made some high-profile local hires.

He recruited former Singapore Exchange president Gan Seow Ann in 2013 as vice-chairman of wealth management in South-east Asia.

And last week he announced that he had managed to convince banking veteran Tracey Woon, now Citi's vice-chairman of Asean corporate and investment banking, to join UBS, also as a vice-chairman of wealth management in South-east Asia, in the third quarter of this year.

While his views might not be considered politically correct, the 55-year-old said, he believes it is what Singapore really needs.

"I care for my country. If I look at my country 15, 25, 30 years out, this is what we need for now. We need to be nimble and pragmatic, we need to communicate very well our needs and we need a balance."

By: Edmund Koh

Swiss private bank UBS' Asia-Pacific head of wealth management
Source: ST
bit.ly/1McD8ss

Do we want to develop a 'blame culture'? - SGH Hep C cluster

Naming the individuals responsible for the hepatitis C outbreak at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) last year will develop a "blame culture" that will not help patients in the long run, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told Parliament on Monday (April 4).

"Instead of focusing on naming individuals and developing a blame culture in our healthcare institutions, we need to encourage a learning culture to make our hospitals as safe as they should be," he said.

"Revealing the names of the officers and specific sanctions each individual received does not contribute to better care of patients. In deciding what to disclose, we have to bear in mind the longer-term impact on our healthcare system and healthcare workers, and strike a balance."

The Health Minister was responding to NCMP Leon Perera of WP who asked for the names of the 12 staff who were disciplined over the Hep C cluster.

Nobody should insist that they know the right way to honour Lee Kuan Yew and compel others to follow.

The distribution of the book on founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to secondary school students has gone somewhat viral and generated a variety of different responses, including apprehension and fear about a cult of personality emerging ("New workbook for students on what Lee stood for launched"; March 24).

While blind worship of mortal humans is unwise, not having heroes to look up to and model after is foolish.

At the core of successful communities and societies is the need for heroes and for narratives of their lives and achievements to inspire us to live at a higher level.

When we stop having new heroes, the bedrock of our success may be shaken.

As humans, we need heroes to be our pacesetters and to motivate us.

In many ways, we stop having heroes not because we have grown old; on the contrary, we have grown old when we stop having heroes.

We should continue to remember and honour the heroes who have contributed to our success.

We should each honour them in our own way. Nobody should insist that they know the right way to honour these leaders and compel others to follow.

Heroes are a reflection of our desire to turn a dream into a reality. They help to define us and inspire new visions.

Heroes promote a stronger desire for more heroic acts in our midst. They become models for our achievements and fuel for our motivation to achieve success.

We admire heroes for their stand against the tide of their times.

We are absorbed by the way they defy overwhelming odds.

Yes, they may have flaws, and they may have failed in certain areas. They may even have fallen deep into the pits of life. But heroes rise again to make history and leave a meaningful legacy for us.

Heroes such as Mother Teresa, Confucius, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Mr Lee show us that we can achieve far more than we can ever dream or imagine.

To progress, we need to find and incorporate more heroes into our lives. We need to share their stories again and again, so that we may be truly inspired towards always improving our lives and our society.

Patrick Liew Siow Gian (Dr)

ST Forum
Published 2 April 2016

SINGAPORE TO BEEF UP NUCLEAR SECURITY, PM LEE SAYS

Singapore will roll out tighter controls to detect and analyse radioactive and nuclear materials passing through its borders, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this at the 4th Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington, DC on Friday (Apr 1), where more than 50 countries shared their progress in strengthening nuclear security.

Since the first NSS in 2010, Singapore has tightened checks on radioactive materials passing through its ports, with every case of nuclear fuel transiting through Singapore being tracked. “From time to time, we have intercepted cargo and confiscated items,” Mr Lee said.

He said that Singapore had recently discovered a significant amount of thorium - a radioactive element which can be used as nuclear fuel.

A laboratory called the Protective Analytical and Assessment Facility (PAAF), plans for which were first announced in 2011, will also be ready this year. The lab, located at Pasir Panjang, will be able to conduct radiation-nuclear detection and analysis.

On top of that, the city-state also cooperates with international partners such as the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore, which fosters the sharing of data about transnational threats among countries.

Singapore also participates in the Proliferation Security Initiative – a global effort that combats the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction. It also adopts the recommendations of the Financial Agency Task Force, which is an intergovernmental body that fights against money laundering and terrorism funding.

NUCLEAR ATTACK BY TERRORISTS NOT IMPOSSIBLE: PM LEE

With the world becoming increasingly vulnerable to terrorism, a nuclear attack by terrorists using devices bought from the black market is “very plausible and believable”, and is a threat which countries must take seriously, Mr Lee said.

In its Dabiq magazine published last May, the Islamic State militant group had described such a scenario – where it launches a major attack with devices from the black market, Mr Lee said, urging the global community to continue fighting against nuclear terrorism.

“Terrorism in itself is a severe problem. If it's mixed up with a terrorist who has some form of radioactive weapon or WMD (weapon of mass destruction), a nuclear weapon, nuclear bomb, that's even worse,” he said.

“I think the countries (at the summit) are taking the issue of terrorism very seriously. In fact, we spent the last session this afternoon talking about terrorism rather than talking about nuclear issues –Turkey, Belgium, France all intervened passionately because they have direct experience of it,” Mr Lee said, adding that Singapore also takes a serious view of the issue.

Since the NSS began in 2010, more than 3.8 metric tons of nuclear materials have been removed globally. This amount could be used to make more than 150 nuclear weapons.

Mr Lee also expressed concern over North Korea, which he said continues to develop nuclear capabilities and conduct tests that raise tensions in North East Asia. These moves can destabilise the region, he said.

“I hope all countries will encourage (North Korea) to restrain itself and work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” he said.

Mr Lee also touched on the region's plans for nuclear power plants. Vietnam and Indonesia are among the ASEAN countries planning to develop such facilities.

Nuclear power plants are not in itself a security issue, he said. “The risk is safety and in case of sabotage or theft of material, then we have a problem. That's why we are building up our capabilities to understand nuclear safety and that's why we participate in conferences like this, because the security part requires international cooperation."

During the summit, Mr Lee met with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has accepted an invitation to deliver the keynote speech at the Shangri-la Dialogue later this year, Singapore’s Prime Minister's Office said.

Mr Lee also had bilateral meetings with his Denmark and Netherlands counterparts, as well as Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and ministers from Australia and Israel.

Source: CNA