Rule of Law. We say what we mean, and we mean what we say.

Critical for our words to count

"We say what we mean, and we mean what we say. Sometimes we are faulted for being rigid and inflexible, but it is absolutely critical for our words to count and for us to hold others to what they have undertaken to us," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

"So having a reputation for insisting on these key points is perhaps no bad thing."

He was speaking at an event celebrating the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) 150th anniversary.

Upholding the law continues to be of 'vital national interest' to small states like Singapore, Mr Lee said.

Rule of law reason for Singapore's rapid progress from Third World to First

It was the rule of law that made Singapore stand out from the other developing countries in the early days of independence and this paved the way for Singapore's rapid progress from Third World to First in 50 years. 

Rule of law and the individual

Individuals know that all are equal before the law. The law upholds individual rights and freedoms while balancing them against society's need to maintain law and order. A central plank, he said, was to foster harmony and social cohesion among the diverse races and religions. People trust the courts to hear their cases impartially, with justice accessible to all.

Rule of law and businesses

Businesses know that they operate in a stable, transparent, rational environment where commerce is governed by transparent rules, contracts are enforced and investments protected.

"Because we emphasized all these aspects of the rule of law, Singapore distinguished itself from other developing countries and made it from Third World to First," he added.

Nations dealing with Singapore have also come to expect that the Republic would honour the agreements it enters and expect the same of others, Mr Lee added.

The AGC, along with the judiciary, are 'critical' in the upholding of the rule of law.

Law enforcement "without fear or favour"and a safe and secure Singapore

As public prosecutor, the AGC enforces all laws on any wrongdoer "without fear or favour", whether it is a case against a high profile person for criminal breach of trust, or a senior public officer accused of graft, or any offence involving race or religion.

"Because our laws are enforced, Singaporeans and foreigners know that here in Singapore, they are safe and secure," Mr Lee said.

AGC, as legal advisor to government, has to see issues through the lens of the government department, understand what it seeks to achieve and then come up with solutions, where necessary, by amending the law.

AGC as the Government's legislative drafter

A key approach to drafting legislation is not to reinvent the wheel as far as possible and to base it on existing models elsewhere. For example, when a new legislation was proposed in the Cabinet, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's first question was to ask which country it was copied from. He knew from a good precedent that Singapore would benefit from the experience and mistakes of others, Mr Lee said.

"But when we have to make laws on our own that have no precedent elsewhere, we have to be very deliberate, think creatively and feel our way forward and recognize that we will have to amend the laws later as we gain experience working on it, to deal with unexpected issues or react to changing circumstances," he said, raising the institution of the Elected President as an example.

The Constitution was amended to introduce an Elected President with custodial powers, he noted, and these arrangements were "complex and novel", with no precedent elsewhere. Therefore, the problem was mulled over for several years, with two White Papers published before it was finally legislated in 1991.

AGC as Singapore's international lawyer protects Singapore's interests abroad

Mr Lee cited the legal work that went into fighting Singapore's case on Pedra Branca against Malaysia before the International Court of Justice as the "best example" in this area.

TODAY's photo:
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Attorney-General Lucien Wong (left) and Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon (right) at the Celebration of the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) 150th Anniversary.     

Amos Yee: In US and no longer protected by Singapore law

Here in Singapore, the law prioritizes community peace and harmony. At least here in Singapore, when Amos spouts his nonsense, he is still protected by the law.

How, you ask? Anyone who reacts to his hate speech and goes up to him to deliver him a punch or a slap will be punished by the law, as had happened before. A man was jailed for 3 weeks for slapping Amos Yee.

Acts of intolerance, not freedom of epxression

Acts like insulting religion, spewing hate speech and engaging in acts to desecrate books deemed holy by religious groups, with the intention to provoke a reaction are not about freedom to express yourself.

They are acts of intolerance.

It is not that one cannot criticize a religion. Many do criticize religions in their private discussions and among friends. They do so for various reasons - to better understand a religion, to express their incredulity over certain beliefs and so on.

Grey Area

But there is a grey area when criticism crosses the line and becomes intolerance. That line is determined by 'intention'. Amos Yee crossed the line when he repeatedly insulted religions and produced videos to do so with the intention to provoke a reaction. Well, he got what he wanted - a reaction. Members of the public reacted and made police reports.

Different country, different system

Over in America where Amos is free to insult religions and indulge in hate speech and desecrate books deemed holy to religious groups without the law coming upon him for doing that, it will do him good to remember that he is now in a different, gun-totting country. It will be good advice for Amos Yee to know the limits of his own behavior for his own good because the reaction of the public will not be a police report. After all, it is not illegal to engage in the hate speech that Amos did.

At least in Singapore, the law would still be a deterrence to protect him from coming to physical harm for abusive speech.

Lee Kuan Yew on freedom of the press in domestic politics

Our founding father, Lee Kuan Yew has a brilliant response to American press' assertion that Singapore limited the free flow of information.

He pointed out that in America, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) bars foreigners from owning more than 25% of a TV or radio station. In other words, only Americans can control the business which influences the public opinion.

Even a huge nation like USA found such a safeguard necessary.

Lee Kuan Yew: Why Singapore's Extraordinary Leader Will Be Missed

LEE KUAN YEW was one of the great statesmen of the post-WWII era.

He made Singapore an economic powerhouse, demonstrating that so-called natural resources aren’t necessary for prosperity, that the key is creating an environment in which human ingenuity can thrive.

He didn’t tolerate corruption; to eliminate the temptation and attract capable people, Lee paid government officials high salaries.

He kept a tight grip on spending and pushed down taxes; the top rate on personal incomes is all of 20%. He knew the folly of weak money; the Singapore dollar looks like the Rock of Gibraltar compared with most currencies—including the U.S. dollar, most of the time.

Lee simultaneously demonstrated that sound finance can coexist with soundly thought out social programs.

HOUSING

He pursued a vigorous housing program that enabled people who didn’t earn high incomes to buy their homes; his was a model for how subsidies need not lead to the housing-related disasters that have plagued the U.S.

HEALTHCARE

Singapore’s health care system has provided comprehensive coverage to its people without the rationing, high costs and dicey care that characterize so many others.

PENSION SYSTEM

Singapore’s pension system avoided the pay-as-you-go trap that is hurtling those in other countries toward insolvency.

Under Lee’s guidance Singapore developed a real-life playbook for how an impoverished country can flourish.

When Lee became prime minister in 1959, Singapore’s per capita income was little more than $400. Today it is over $56,000, higher than that of all but a handful of other countries.

Under his leadership Singapore developed a thriving middle class, along with the civic institutions and habits that are crucial to a sustainable democracy. Too many times we’ve seen that merely holding an election does not a lasting democracy make.

Singapore’s political system is evolving in a way that bodes well for long-term stability.

Early in his political career Lee shed his socialist sympathies and became a hardheaded pragmatist. He ruthlessly suppressed communist attempts to hijack his political party, even though he had made common cause with them in the fight for independence, when Singapore was a British colony.

In the 1950s and 1960s Lee demonstrated superb political skill in maintaining Singapore’s independence in the face of real hostility from two immensely larger neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia.

LEE'S INFLUENCE EXTENDED BEYOND SINGAPORE

But Lee’s influence extended far beyond his small country. One wishes he could have been the leader of a country like Indonesia or China. (He would have conducted U.S. foreign policy better than almost all of our Secretaries of State.) He supported U.S. efforts in trying to save South Vietnam from communist takeover by the North. Although the U.S. lost that war, Lee argued that our long effort gave the rest of Asia the time needed to develop the strength to resist communist takeovers. He strongly supported a robust U.S. role in the region as a counter to the old Soviet Union and China.

I got to meet Lee, thanks to our chairman, Cap Weinberger. When Cap was Secretary of Defense, he worked closely with Lee and considered him a stalwart ally, whose insight and advice were extremely valuable and who provided enormous practical help during the Cold War.

To listen to Lee talk about the world situation was an enlightening delight. During one of our most memorable visits he recounted the story of his meeting with Deng Xiaoping soon after Deng had won the reins of power and was mulling how to go about rebuilding China in the aftermath of Mao’s horrific Cultural Revolution. Deng’s trip to Singapore in 1978 was his first and only trip there. He was stunned by what he saw in Singapore: a booming area populated by Chinese that was independent and politically stable. “How did you do it?” Deng asked Lee. Deng threw aside his itinerary and spent hour after hour in intense conversation with Lee.

When Deng returned to China, he began putting Lee’s precepts to work, creating special Singapore-like economic development zones along China’s coast. Thus was China’s historic and rapid modernization set in motion.

One of our journalistic coups occurred in 2001, when Lee Kuan Yew kindly accepted our offer to become a FORBES columnist, agreeing to share his insights with our audience every three months. It’s so unfortunate that the civilized world has lost such a wise voice at this troubled time.

By: Steve Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2015/03/23/lee-kuan-yew-why-this-extraordinary-leader-will-be-missed/#7a4284e41112

Lee Kuan Yew and the search for water security

It was 2002. Then SM Lee Kuan Yew held up a bottle of Newater after drinking from it during the Tanjong Pagar National Day Dinner. It was a moment of relief.

When the tiny city-state of Singapore gained independence in 1965, its social, economic, political and environmental constraints appeared so formidable that many of those looking in from outside predicted a future of dismal dimensions.

Today the story is different.

10-year clean-up of the Singapore River

"The 10-year clean-up of the Singapore River is one example of coordinated planning, though it took time to come to fruition.

Success was made possible by the large-scale re-development of central Singapore and the elimination and control of the sources of pollution entering the river so that water could be used safely and cost-effectively for potable use.

Since the river was the main trade artery of the island and growing economic activity along its banks attracted increasing numbers of people – squatter colonies, hawkers, backyard industries – the problem was repeatedly sidestepped. The net result was that increasing quantities of domestic and industrial wastewater and solid waste was discharged into the river, seriously affecting its quality.

Lee Kuan Yew gave an ultimatum to ministries and agencies in 1977 and things started to change. They were instructed to work together to improve the water quality of the river, identify the domestic, commercial and industrial pollution sources blighting the waterway, create relevant legislation and, ultimately, redevelop Singapore’s entire central area.

More than 26,000 families were resettled into public housing, significantly improving their living conditions.

Almost 5,000 street hawkers, more than 46,000 squatters and some 800 lighters – barges used to transport goods along the river – were relocated.

Around 2,800 industrial cases of backyard trades and cottage industries were also moved, most of them into newly developed industrial estates.

Finally, some 610 pig farms and 500 duck farms, which used to discharge untreated wastes into the river, were phased out.


At US$240 million, the clean-up of the Singapore River wasn’t cheap. But a tally of the benefits – both direct and indirect – makes clear it was a sound investment. The programme transformed the face of Singapore. Land values along the river banks soared, as did tourism and business.

The search for water security

For Lee Kuan Yew, the main driver for long-term strategic planning was the search for water security.

During his premiership, water was prioritised to the extent that economic development was subordinate to the impacts it could have on water resources. This strong political support from the highest levels of government has been instrumental to the state’s development.

It is said that Singapore has been able to thrive because of its small size and that its experiences are therefore not relevant to other countries. On the contrary, without a hinterland and almost no natural resources, the tiny island has had to formulate long-term, creative solutions to ensure economic growth and a liveable environment.

Lee Kuan Yew realised as early as the late 1960s that, in the long-term, it is much more expensive for a society to live in a polluted environment than a clean one. Almost half a century later, most of the world’s leaders are still to grasp this fact.

REFERENCES:
- Singapore’s growth story holds lessons for water-scarce China by Cecilia Tortajada and Asit K. Biswas. China Dialogue, 16 May, 2013.- The Singapore Water Story: Sustainable Development in an Urban City-State, by Cecilia Tortajada, Yugal Kishore Joshi, Asit K. Biswas. Published 5th April 2013 by Routledge.

The threat of terroism and grassroots volunteers. Grassroots volunteers unite, WP divides.

Acts of extremism aim to harm what is most precious to our society which is the mutual trust and cohesion between communities.

Hence it is so important to guard the mutual trust and cohesion that we enjoy today with zeal and to continue to strengthen them.

Should a terrorist attack take place, terrorists will be aiming not only to hurt people, but to divide Singaporeans as well, PM Lee said on Sunday 19 March.

"The stronger our kampong spirit, the less able terrorists will be to break us," he said at the Emergency Preparedness day in his ward at Teck Ghee.

This is why it is so important for Singaporeans to get to know their neighbours, make friends with people of other races. 

Every little act counts, from holding the lift door open to offering snacks to others.  

Strengthening community bonds is our way to thwart the menace of terrorism.

GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEERS

To this end, PA, with its network of 1800 grassroots organizations managed by volunteers plays a tremendous role.

There are some 38,000 grassroots volunteers.

Through their involvement in the GROs (grassroots organizations), these volunteers help to build bridges, bringing people of different backgrounds together by organizing a wide range of programmes for residents to meet and interact, encouraging community involvement, raising awareness of community issues, helping those in need so as to strengthen racial harmony and social cohesion in our community.  

It is not difficult to see that grassroots volunteers play a big part in nation building.

We would like to place on record our deep appreciation to volunteers who, out of the willingness of their heart, selflessly give of their time, talent and resources to help our residents and the less fortunate amongst us, building up a sense of neighbourliness and care for one another, all to strengthen the community spirit, and not expecting anything in return.

- People's Association 

GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEERS UNITE, WP DIVIDES

While these volunteers work to unify people, Workers' Party, for their own political agenda, chose to launch their attack on these volunteers to divide Singaporeans by focusing on the little perks offered to these volunteers, perks which many do not take anyway despite their many hours of sacrifice. What they are trying to do is to sow the seeds of envy. Sad really.

GRASSROOTS LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS TO BE EQUIPPED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO HELP RESIDENTS OVERCOME THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA OF A TERRORIST ATTACK

And now, in a new initiative announced by PM Lee Hsien Loong, these grassroots volunteers will play a role in psychological and emotional recovery in the event of a terrorist attack.

The "Human Emergency Assistance and Response Team" (HEART) comprising psychologists and counsellors from the Home Team, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the Institute of Mental Health will train volunteers in psychological first aid.

The government has stepped up its outreach to raise awareness of the terror threats and to prepare residents to respond effectively in the event of an attack.

PA, as an arm of the government, and their thousands of volunteers play an important role to achieve this. As they have done in the past to help forge 'one people, one nation, one Singapore', they will continue to play this role in bringing people together.

It is time that Workers' Party put away their political agenda and stop politicizing PA and their volunteers.

         

Run with technology, run with OutoBot

A robotic system that cleans the exterior of a high-rise building or gives it a new coat of paint.

Named OutoBot, this automated gondola system is co-developed by Singapore electronics company Elid Technology International and Nanyang Technological University.

MANPOWER CRUNCH, MANPOWER-LEAN

Instead of the usual team of 5 that is usually required - one on the roof top, one on the ground and 3 in the gondola, only 2 people are needed to run the robotic system: an operator on the ground and a safety officer.

No workers are needed on the specially built gondola. The OutaBot has a robotic arm equipped with a camera and a spray nozzle that can shoot high-pressure water jets to clean surfaces or spray paint.

HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY

In addition to requiring fewer workers, Elid said that OutoBot will reduce painting and cleaning time by 30% and wastage by 20%.

JOB TRANSFORMATION, BETTER SAFETY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OLDER WORKER

The use of a robotic system also transforms a labour-intensive job into one that can easily be done by an older worker

Managing Director of Elid Technology International, Mr Dennis Lim said:

With Singapore's rapidly aging workforce, we need to find ways to enable our employees to continue contributing despite their advanced years.

Using our new robot, we have shown that a labour-intensive job can be transformed into one that can easily be done by an older worker, and at the same time eliminating the risk of  employees having to work at heights.

The robot was developed in response to HDB's call in 2015 for proposals to automate the painting of building façades to enhance worker's safety and productivity.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Managing director of Aegis Building and Engineering said:

With the OutoBot, we can potentially look to hire younger people who are interested in technology, or older people who might not be physically able to brave the weather on a gondola for an entire day.

NTU and tech firm ELID develop robot to wash and paint high-rise buildings

Lim Swee Say: Don't look for plug-and-play kind of workers. Transform the job to make it attractive to locals.

Good news.

Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said that more targeted help will be given to unemployed PMETs.

PMETs who have been out of work for 6 months or longer need personalized guidance from career coaches and employers who are willing to hire and train them even if they lack experience in a particular sector.

Mr Lim's message to employers:

Don't keep looking for so-called plug-and-play kind of workers. Don't keep looking for workers who can fit into your job 100 per cent.

In other words, employers must be willing to train a worker.

Of the local workers who were made redundant last year, PMETs were the hardest hit, making up 72% of them.

PMETs are also finding it harder to get back to work. The rate of re-entry for PMETs is 44%.

To help PMETs to get back to work, MOM has offered incentives for employers to hire them:

1. Training allowances of up to $4000 a month for those who go on training attachments;
2. Higher wage subsidies under the Career Support Programme for employers who hire PMETs aged 40 and above. Employers will now get wage subsidies for 18 months, up from 12 months.
3. Minimum salary of eligible workers will be lowered from $4000 to $3600 to allow smaller firms to join the programme.

The jobs are there but both employers and job seekers need to change their mindset to address the mismatched labour market.

While employers must be willing to hire workers who are not a perfect-fit, workers must be willing to go for training and to learn.

Foreign worker quota

Responding to business leaders he had met who appealed for a relaxation of the foreign worker quota, Mr Lim said businesses need to find a longer term solution.

"It is not a sustainable solution. The jobs are there. If they cannot find workers, can we transform the job, make it more of a better job to be more attractive to locals?" he said.

He was speaking at an Adapt and Grow Series career fair at the Lifelong Learning Institute at Paya Lebar organized by Workforce Singapore and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute.

The fair featured about 260 job vacancies, each paying at least $3600 a month from over 20 companies under the Career Support Programme (CSP).

Popular government does not mean that you do popular things all the time.

It takes political will to do what is unpopular but necessary, more so in the face of rising populism.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew said, "Popular government does not mean that you do popular things all the time. We do not want to be unpopular or to do unpopular things. But when they are necessary, they will be done. Popular representative government means that within each five-year period, your policies have demonstrably worked and won popular support. This is what it means. And if we flinch from the unpopular, we are in deep trouble."

If we flinch from the unpopular we are in deep trouble.

The water price hike is one such necessary thing to do. Fortunately majority of Singaporeans understand the need to raise water price.

All hail CCTV and cameras worn by police officers

Thanks to CCTV and cameras worn by police officers, refuing allegations is now easier and without ambiguity.

Police have invited the family of 74-year-old Madam Josephine Savarimuthu to view, at their convenience, footage of her while in police custody.

Madam Savarimuthu's daughter, Madam Gertrude Simon, 55, had written a letter to Straits Times Forum in which she said her mother was handcuffed and had leg restraints on when she was moved between the police station, Changi Women's Prison and the court.

In an interview with The Straits Times, she also said that her mother was stressed and overwhelmed throughout the incident.

However, video footage showed that Madam Savarimuthu was alert, coherent and communicative during custody and did not appear stressed.

Madam Savarimuthu was restrained at the hands and legs only during her transfer to the prison. This is standard procedure for transferring persons in custody which include preventing them from harming themselves.

Madam Savarimuthu was arrested when she went to make a police report. While processing her report, the police officer discovered that she had an outstanding warrant of arrest issued by the court in 2016 for failing to attend court relating to summons over wrongful placement of potted plants.