Ensuring That There Is Always Enough Water

Singapore has 17 reservoirs today.

But do you know that we also have another reservoir across the Causeway?

The Linggiu Reservoir in Johor is FIVE TIMES LARGER than all of the 17 reservoirs put together. It was constructed by the PUB following a 1990 treaty supplementary to Singapore's 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia.

Due to the presistent dry weather, the Linggiu Reservoir is now more than half empty.

While Johor is into their 4th month of water rationing, water here continues to flow steady.

This is an unappreciated blessing. It did not arise out of good fortune. It was the result of careful planning and conscientious implementation by PUB and the Government.

If the dry weather persists, we WILL eventually be affected. Imported water (which can meet half of our daily demand for drinking water) is under threat and steadily depleting.

Demand for water will increase. There is just not enough space in Singapore to collect and store all the water that we need.

[Although right on the Equator and in the tropics, Singapore is actually a severely water-challenged country. We spend a lot of time and devote a lot of resources in planning for the future. PUB always builds ahead of demand. Construction of Singapore's third desalination plant will soon commence. Plans for a fourth have just been announced. And you can be sure that we are busy working on the one after that.

Water security is a matter of life and death for us in Singapore. Our existence as a sovereign nation is directly contingent on enduring water security.

The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, recognised this fact from day one, and worked tirelessly throughout his life to secure our water future. He once said: "Water dominated every other policy. Every other policy had to bend at the knees for water survival."

Singapore's water strategy comes in three parts.

First of all, we have to maximise our own yield. So we strive to collect every drop of rain that falls here. This means turning as much of Singapore as possible into a water catchment, and keeping our drains, canals and waterways pristine.

Second, we have to think of water as an endlessly reusable resource. In our minds, the H2O molecule is never lost. Water can always be reclaimed and re-treated so that it can be drunk again.

PUB is a world leader in this. Today, we are able to turn wastewater into sweet water for very little money. We reclaim every drop of sewage and turn much of it into drinking water again.

And third, because Singapore is surrounded by sea, we turn seawater into drinking water. When membrane separation technology made desalination economically viable, PUB adopted it with great zeal. And we continue to research better desalination technology to find less expensive ways of desalting water.

Our plan, in the long run, is for fully 80 per cent of Singapore's water needs to be met by desalinated and recycled water.
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Despite severely limiting geographic constraints, today's Singapore is not short of water.

As long as we at PUB continue to be smart and clear-eyed about our nation's water situation, and do our work well, there should always be enough water. This is possible only because we have used our imagination, researching and testing continuously, and have exploited technology to overcome our water challenges.

In this way, we have turned disadvantage into strength, and seemingly insurmountable vulnerability into endless opportunity.] - By Ng Joo Hee (excerpt)

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ensuring-theres-enough-water-always?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10

Longevity Means Opportunities

An ageing population which poses challenges to many countries, also brings opportunities when longevity is viewed through friendly eyes.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made these remarks during the APEC Meeting.

Longer lives mean more time for people to achieve their goals and aspirations, provided they remain healthy. And for countries with low replacement rates, having more elderly can make up for having fewer babies, especially if the older workers can achieve life-long employability, he added.

"We need to transform our societies and economies to become more age-friendly, and turn longevity into a positive force for economic and social development."

To minimise the burden of ageing and to maximise the contributions that old people can make and to make sure they feel an inclusive part of society and to strengthen the resilience in our community, Singapore is transforming in three ways.

1. Helping seniors stay active and healthy for longer.

The Government has plans to raise the re-employment age further, to 67 years old, and is also providing financial incentives for companies to make jobs and workplaces more senior-friendly.

Most recently, it launched the SkillsFuture initiative, which gives workers credits for courses they can take to upgrade themselves at any age.

2. Safety nets in housing, retirement adequacy and healthcare (Medishield Life) were also strengthened, to give seniors peace of mind, he added.

3. Infrastructure - in public transport, public housing, and parks - are being refreshed for the elderly to move around the city independently, confidently and freely.

Obama: Singapore Punches Above Its Weight Despite Its Small Population

United States President Barack Obama has said the state of the Singapore-US relationship is “very strong”, and that the consistent engagement of the US in the region is made “much easier” knowing it has ASEAN partners like Singapore.

Mr Obama was speaking at the end of a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (Nov 22).

"I think around the world, people admire the incredible progress that Singapore has made in creating prosperity and opportunity for its people and for being an excellent international partner. And here at ASEAN and previously at APEC, I think we’ve seen that although Singapore does not have a large population, it punches above its weight, because of its wise policies, and ability to work with all countries."

PAP 61st Anniversary - Party's Milestones

THE DATE: 21 November 1954.

THE PLACE: A packed Victoria Memorial Hall, a name which reminded not a few of the 1,500 present of their British colonial masters.

THE EVENT: The birth of a new political party.

In a country on the threshold of nationhood, among a people fermenting with anti-colonialism, the People's Action Party (PAP) was born.

It was a tumultuous start for our party, fighting for a young country's independence. Our chosen path was neither not war nor revolution, but a collective and undeniable urge for self-determination. PAP members turned up in short sleeves to show solidarity with the workers who pledged loyalty to a new vision.

The first key office-holders included a group of English-speaking young men who had been educated overseas. These were Lee Kuan Yew, who was the party's first secretary-general, Toh Chin Chye, the party's first chairman and S Rajaratnam, who later held key ministerial posts in the Government.

In the early days, although the PAP worked with communists with anti-colonialism as their mutual platform, the PAP made it clear it had a different set of political values. Lim Chin Siong, along with his Chinese High senior, Fong Swee Suan, was introduced to Lee Kuan Yew. The PAP's goal was to achieve merger with Malaya, but the pro-communists wanted a united Singapore-Malaya under the communist banner.

In 1956, Lim and Lee represented the PAP at the London Constitutional Talks led by David Marshall, which ended in failure: the British declined to grant Singapore internal self-government. Marshall, disappointed with the constitutional talks, stepped down as Chief Minister, and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock.

After two more rounds of Constitutional Talks in 1957 and 1958, a General Election for a fully elected government was held on 30 May 1959. That year, the PAP won the election and formed Singapore's first fully elected government under the new Constitution. The Cabinet of self-government was sworn in on 5 June with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister, Dr Toh Chin Chye, the Deputy Prime Minister, Goh Keng Swee, the Minister for Finance and Ong Pang Boon, Minister for Home Affairs.

Although foreign relations and matters of defence were still in the hands of the British at that time, it was a step closer to its mission of seeking independence through merger with Malaya.

Then in 1961 came the Big Split. Lim Chin Siong and a few others turned against the PAP and the government over the issue of the day: Independence through merger.

Once comrades-in-arms, Lim Chin Siong broke away from Lee Kuan Yew and left the PAP to become the leader of the opposition party Barisan Socialis (Socialist Front).

On 16 September 1963, amidst internal tension and external hostility, Singapore became part of Malaysia. 71% of electorate in Singapore voted in favour of a new nation comprising the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. Lee Kuan Yew remained as the PM of the State of Singapore. The General Election for that year was fiercely fought, with 46.5% of votes coming to the Party. Only Mr Lee and Dr Goh Keng Swee had clear majorities.

The merger with Malaya, however, was short-lived. In 20 odd months, the fundamental difference between PAP and the Alliance hinged on the nature of a Malaysian society - whether a Malaysian Malaysia or a Malay Malaysia. It caused an insurmountable ideological divide and led the Malay leaders to take the decision to separate Singapore from the rest of Malaysia in August 1965. Finally, on 9 August 1965, PM Lee announced the Separation.

PARTY PHILOSOPHY

Over the years, certain core values have formed the foundation for the country's key policies. The party's preference has been for ideas to manifest themselves through policies, rather than be cast in a theoretical philosophy of manifestos .

Our multi-racial and multi-religious focus can be seen in the equal treatment which all races - Chinese, Malay, Indians and Eurasians - receive in all areas of public service. This includes equal treatment in education, housing, and health. As a party, we also raised funds to to support community and social groups working on education and health across all racial groups.

Politically, the minorities are assured of proportionate representation in Parliament through the Group Representation Constituency, or GRC system set up in 1988. MPs can be elected under single wards or under GRCs, where a group of MPs are elected as a team. Each team must contain at least one MP who is a member of a minority group.

Our focus on meritocracy can be seen most clearly in the education system, in which one child is ensured of as many educational opportunities as the next child - regardless of his parents' financial status. This is through the many scholarships and bursaries given out for academic excellence.

PARTY PROGRESS: MAKE IT OUR BEST HOME

On the 45th anniversary of the party in 1999, Mr Goh Chok Tong, then-Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the party since 1992, said: "Let us not celebrate so much past achievements, but prepare ourselves for challenges ahead...Let us inject our Party with a new vitality and drive.''

At the polls, the party has been returned to power since Singapore became independent. We have won all General Elections since independence, and the party's three secretary-generals - Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Goh Chok Tong and Mr Lee Hsien Loong - have been Singapore's three Prime Ministers.

We have a Women's Wing (set up in 1989) and Young PAP (the youth wing, set up in 1986). We continue to operate out of a modest headquarters in Upper Changi, within the heartlands of Bedok.

Over the years, our party's self-renewal has been systematic and planned. Each election, some 20 new candidates are trained and fielded. We will continue to attract good men and women to join us to stand and fight for office. Each generation of leaders builds on the progress of the past to continue our march to a better and brighter future for all Singaporeans.

Happy 61st Anniversary, PAP!

Source: http://news.pap.org.sg/about-pap/party-milestones

Fighting Terrorism By Strengthening The Singapore Model

On grappling with threats from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam said at the Straits Times Global Outlook Forum that the country will have to recover quickly, stay united and remain confident in its ability to deal with problems.

“We have to be real about this. We have to harden defences on a whole range of facilities and installations. We’ve already been doing it and we will continue to do it,” he said.

“And fundamentally too over the long term, we’ve got to strengthen our Singapore model — of interacting freely, living together in the same neighbourhood, going to the same schools together and constantly deepening that sense of identity, where people first and foremost feel what they share in common as Singaporeans.”

The Way To Fight Terrorism According To Lee Kuan Yew

Our papers, airwaves and TV have been filled with endless commentaries about the barbaric attacks on Paris in the last few days. Without exception, everyone condemns the evils of terrorism and is eager to show solidarity with the grieving French people.

After a period of mourning, the biggest question for all of us is to identify the root of the problem and find a solution to eradicate the scourge of Islamic terrorism. There are a multitude of opinions, but it would be wise for us to pay attention to a voice from the grave, the late Lee Kuan Yew.

The late Lee possessed a razor-sharp strategic mind and didn’t like to mince his words when talking about controversial topics like the rise of Islamism. Before he passed away, he had an in-depth conversation with two Harvard professors, Graham Allison and Robert Blackwill, on a range of topics including the future of Islamic extremism.

Lee says the root cause of Islamic terrorism is not about the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The founding father of modern Singapore, who was widely regarded as one of the world’s leading strategists, believes militant Islam feeds upon the insecurities and alienation that globalisation generates among the less successful.

“After 40 years of patchy economic development, many Arabs feel anger and humiliation that their once glorious civilisation has been diminished by the West, especially America and corrupted by its licentious culture,” he said in the book The Grand Master’s Insights on China, the United States and the World.

Drawing on his own experience of combating Islamic terrorists in Southeast Asia, the late Lee identified several leading causes and named Saudi Arabia and its oil money as one of the main culprits for the spread of radical Islam.

“First and foremost, after the price of oil quadrupled in 1973, Saudi Arabia has generously financed the missionary movement by building mosques and religious schools and paying for preachers throughout the world, spreading the teachings and practices of its austere version of Wahhabist Islam,” he said.
Lee said the spread of Petrodollars led to an increase in religiosity worldwide and made it possible for extremists to recruit from Saudi-funded mosques and madrassas. He saw that first-hand in Southeast Asia where people practiced a moderate brand of Islam but some had turned radical and joined Jihadist fighting in the Middle East.

In answering an ultra-sensitive question on what role Islam plays in fuelling Islamic extremism, he didn’t shy away. “Muslims want to assimilate us. It is one-way traffic…They have no confidence in allowing choice,” he said. “Muslims socially do not cause any trouble, but they are distinct and separate… Islam is exclusive.”

The biggest question of all is how to eliminate radical Islamists. At the moment, the struggle looks like a battle between extremist radicals on one side and Western allies on the other. However, deep down, the real battle is the death struggle between the extremist Muslims and the rationalist Muslims.

So Lee’s answer to the question is simple and categorical. “Only Muslims can win this struggle,” he said. By that he means, only modernist Muslims could triumph over their radical antagonists and it is the job of the international community to support and encourage the moderate Muslim to fight back against the extremists.

“I also pointed out that our Muslim leaders are rational and that the ultimate solution to extremist terrorism was to give moderate Muslims the courage to stand up and speak out against radicals who have hijacked Islam to recruit volunteers for their violent ends,” he said.

Lee’s solution is essentially encouraging and empowering moderate Muslims to speak out against radicals if they want to be a part of the modern world of science and technology. For Muslim minorities in countries such as Britain, France and Australia, they must take a clear cut stand against Islamist terrorists.

In Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Iraq, Muslims have to confront Islamists or they face the risk of being dragged back into a feudal past. Lee believes the tide of battle will turn against the extremists once moderate Muslim governments such as those in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Persian Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan comfortably and openly join a multilateral coalition against Islamist terrorists.
“The objective must be to reassure and persuade moderate Muslims…that they are not going to lose, that they have the weight, the resources of the world behind them. They must have the courage to go into the mosques and matrasses and switch off the radicals” he said.

In the end, Lee also suggested that a military solution was not enough on its own. “You must use force. But force will only deal with the tip of the problem. In killing the terrorists, you will only kill the worker bees. The queen bees are the preachers, who teach a deviant form of Islam in schools and Islamic centres, who capture and twist the minds of the young.”

Lee, who had in his lifetime defeated and eliminated both Communist insurgents and Islamists in Singapore, where a sizable Muslim community lives, is worth listening to. His solution, if we could boil it down, is to provide as much support to moderate Muslims as needed to defeat radicals.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/11/17/china/lee-kuan-yew-and-how-fight-islamic-terrorism

Photo: Fabrications About The PAP

Humble PM, Humnble Jet

Members of the media waiting for the arrival of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had a moment of confusion when a small, unmarked Gulfstream jet landed, taxied and slowly proceeded to the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 where the welcoming delegation was waiting.

Only a handful of vehicles waited for Lee's convoy, and a boarding ramp vehicle was not even used because the jet only needed its built-in ladder.

It was not until the jet parked in front of the red carpet and Prime Minister Lee came out with his wife, Madame Ho Ching, that the media was absolutely sure that it was the aircraft that carried Lee and his party.

For the hordes of journalists who have gotten used to covering more than a dozen world leaders who arrived on board their jumbo jet flag carriers, and even their own presidential airplanes for some, like the Air Force One of US President Barack Obama, seeing a small private jet flying the Singapore leader was slightly out of the norm.

Singapore is, after all, one of the richest economies in the world with a GDP per capita (income per individual) of $55,182 (that is 20 times the GDP per capita of the Philippines).

Lee has been known to use commercial flights as well while traveling on official business.

Source: ABS-CBN News