Fourth Pink Dot outshines previous records, with over 15,000 Singaporeans coming together in a dramatic spectacle of glowing torches, light sticks and mobile phones to celebrate the freedom to love Tonight, over 15,000 Singaporeans turned Hong Lim Park into a sea of shimmering pink lights, for the first-ever night Pink Dot. For the fourth time since 2009, thousands of straight and LGBT Singaporeans came together to celebrate inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love, with the formation of a giant Pink Dot in Speakers’ Corner. This was a 50% increase over last year’s number, continuing a four year trend of growth. An annual event that aims to raise awareness and foster deeper understanding of the basic human need to love and be loved, regardless of one’s sexual orientation, Pink Dot has become one of the most visible and well known events for inclusiveness and diversity in Singapore. It has inspired similar events around the world and has helped bring together Singaporeans in a way that promotes love without antagonism. Pink Dot spokesperson Paerin Choa said: “Each year, thousands of Singaporeans come together to affirm their support for inclusivity and diversity, and it is a humbling experience to see the number of participants increasing and that so many are supportive friends and families of LGBT individuals.” read more
According to the Straits Times (29 Jan)
PM Lee Hsien Loong has no doubt that Dr Koh Poh Koon, the PAP candidate
for Punggol East SMC, would have won election had he been given enough
time to get to know the residents.
“Unfortunately he didn’t have enough time and so he didn’t win in Punggol East,” PM Lee was reported to have said.
This simplistic explanation for Dr Koh’s loss to Ms Lee Li Lian of the Workers’ Party has drawn much derision on the internet. read more LionCity Re-election Kudos to the Lioncity State that successfully staged an exciting,
peaceful, though a surprising outcome but fair re-election for its
Punggol East constituency. This show-case a high standard of democracy
for Asian countries to emulate. As repported by its local media, the message is clear, from the
voters: “Bread & butter solutions and Singaporeans First”.
Regardless of party politics. Both political parties put forth very good candidates this time around. As they all say, the choice is decided by the people. read more PAP suffers 10.83% swing in Punggol East by-election It is true that by-elections put the governing party at a
disadvantage. Voters are more likely to express their unhappiness
without risk of toppling the government. Nevertheless, the 10.83% swing
against the People’s Action Party in Punggol East (polling day: 26
January 2013) is one that must worry the PAP. If we superimposed this swing on the results of the May 2011 general
election, the PAP would lose its majority. It would find itself with
only 42 seats in Parliament. Opposition parties would hold 45 seats.
In addition to George Yeo, other current ministers who would then have
lost their seats include Ng Eng Hen, Josephine Teo, Lim Swee Say, Vivian
Balakrishnan, Lui Tuck Yew and K Shanmugam. Two new ministers appointed
in 2011 — Heng Swee Keat and Tan Chuan-jin — would not have made it
either. read more
Punggol East By-Election 2013: The Aftermath and the Analysis
By now, most of Singapore would know that WP's Lee Li Lian
had won the Punggol East by-election and soundly thumped PAP's Koh Poh
Koon. WP won 54.52% of the votes, whereas PAP could only capture 43.71% of the votes. WP won by a very convincing margin of 10.81%. This is compared to when WP had won 43.71% of the votes in General Election 2011 and PAP had won 54.54%. read more
The Punggol By-election – A watershed The Punggol by-election came and went in two weeks of furious
hustling. The Workers’ Party candidate Lee Li Lian triumphed in what is
largely a gentlemanly contest between four political parties. The
victory of Workers Party has turned a new page in the history books and
set a new milestone in the landscape. The by election, the second in as many years, will be remembered as a watershed in Singapore politics.
Opposition cooperation and unity? - “The WP insists on going its own way … not because of arrogance or
lack of respect for other parties, but to prevent history from repeating
itself, and from letting people down again,” read more Punggol BE Results : What it tells us For
anyone unfamiliar with the situation on the ground at Punggol East, the
results of the by-election is indeed surprising. The popular opinion at
the start of the contest was it would be a close one but the PAP
candidate was likely to win. Instead of this, we see a 11% swing away
from the PAP candidate. A hypothetical 11% swing in the GE 2016
will not only take the PAP votes to below 50%, it is likely to take away
its majority in parliament - the PAP will have to seek coalition
partner from the opposition to stay in power or be kicked out - I don't
think the leaders in PAP slept well yesterday. While a win by WP was
always a possibility, the wide margin was a big surprise for many. I
will cite a few of the minor reasons that might have helped
to contributed to the margin before I get to the major ones. One
commonly cited reason on the mainstream media is this is a by-election
so voters are more willing to vote for the opposition. The by-election
effect was cleverly used by Chiam See Tong in the 1990s who tried to
turn the opposition weakness to strength by returning the PAP to power
on nomination day during general elections. If you look at the election
results when this strategy was used, it probably account a few extra %
of the votes because most people expected the PAP to be returned to
power anyway given its dominance. How many people
voted for the PAP in 2011 instead of the opposition because they fear it
would lose the general elections? If you look at the 1992 by-election
held shortly after the 1991 election when PAP lost an unprecedented 4
SMCs, there was a swing of 4% to the opposition[Link]
- it was also a 4 corner fight but the main opposition party (SDP)
running at that time was led by Chee (before his sacking from NUS and
hunger strike) was far stronger that the one running during the GE 1991
(JPS) yet we saw only a swing of 4%. read more Some Explanation Required Luck had nothing to do with the stunning victory at Punggol East, a
margin of 3,182 votes or 10.8 per cent of valid votes is not something
to be sniffed at. Lee Li Lian deserves the accolades for her hard work,
covering every one of the HDB blocks in the ward with the help of
volunteers and party members. And we are forever indebted to the courage
of the Punggol East voters, who were not seduced by the temptations of
the short term giveaways, and focused on the future of their children's
generation. As for the big time loser, he should have listened to his
wife's counsel, "You want to help people, but people don't want you". read more Punggol East by-election hindsights The
dust has finally settled in Punggol East – Workers’ Party (WP), Lee Li
Lian, won with a 54.54% margin, over PAP’s Koh Poh Koon who took home
43.71% of the votes. The other candidates were Desmond Lim and Kenneth
Jeyaretnam who scored 0.57% and 1.2% respectively. The
date for the by-election admittedly came as a complete surprise, as it
came on the heels of the AIM saga where the development of IT systems
was given to PAP companies, which in this case was AIM. The problem will
of course rear its ugly head when the PAP incumbent(s) lose his seat in
the ward. The company can serve its notice and terminate its software
arrangements with the town council. Such arrangements were viewed in the
negative sense as high-handedness reeking of cronyism. If
the PAP lost, the question which arises is whether the town councils
will be left high and dry. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that the spotlight
has now fallen on the management of the Punggol East town council now
that it has fallen into the opposition’s hands. read more The Wave of Change that Swept Singapore: Punggol East By-Election 2013 The Worker’s Party won the Punggol East by-election by a convincing
margin of 10.81% to win 54.52% of the votes. This is a 13.5% improvement
from their performance at General Election 2011. By all accounts, this
is a very solid win by the Worker’s Party. On top of that, Ms Lee Li
Lian is the first woman to win a by-election in Singapore. To be very clear, this win by the Worker’s Party is a very strong and
powerful message that will resonate and reverberate throughout the
whole of Singapore. It will send a very powerful signal to all
Singaporeans that what we’ve been harbouring in our thoughts all along –
that they’ve been treated unjustly – is proven right afterall. And one
that a large multitude of Singaporeans feel as well. This will ignite the passion and vigour among some Singaporeans to
search within themselves to identify with what they truly believe in,
and to stand up and make their voice known, together with the growing
number of Singaporeans who have taken online to speak up, and
increasingly, propose strategies and changes for a better Singapore. read more Broken Trust, Broken Policies Like a sore loser, the PAP quickly attributed its Punggol East defeat to some act of God – the “by-election effect.” We lost, not because we are incompetent but because of forces beyond our control. It appears to be a term (in the league of “ponding” and “freak flood”) PAP spin doctors conjured up to save face, and to mollify its dismayed, hardcore supporters. PAP would be deceiving itself if it genuinely thought it lost because of the “by-election effect”. Punggol East voters,
among which 76% are below 50 years old, had sent the ruling party a
very clear message on behalf of the middle/sandwiched class. The
pro-opposition supporters had voted tactically by channeling their
ballots to the Workers’ Party, and had stood their ground despite the
fatter and juicier carrots dangled by PAP this time round. read more Whither Singapore? After the results for the Punggol East by-election was known, former
Minister George Yeo made a 2-word post, “Whither Singapore” on his
Facebook. Within hours, there were hundreds of comments.Whither is used
in poetic language. It means ‘to what place’, or ‘to what end or
purpose’. I suppose George Yeo meant where Singapore politics is heading
towards, given the unexpected defeat of a previously safe SMC seat by a
stunning 10.8% margin to the opposition in a 4-corner fight. When I plunged into politics 2 years ago, I never expected myself to
be actively involved in a General Election and two by-elections, plus
being a keen observer of a closely fought Presidential Election; all in
less than 24 months. In election-deprived Singapore, we never had such
election excitement since independence. Many firsts had taken place. For the first time, a GRC was lost to
the opposition. The GRC is viewed by many as the impregnable fortress of
the PAP, designed to make it difficult for the opposition to take down
teams that are each led by 1-2 ministers. PAP also received its lowest
share of the popular votes since independence. Three months later, for
the first time, a presidential candidate favoured by the ruling party
was elected by less than majority votes, and with a shocking razor-thin
0.3% margin as well. Then, after losses in Aljunied GRC and in the
Hougang by-election, the PAP lost for the first time since independence
in a multi-corner fight to a female opposition candidate. read more A Victory of the People The people of Punggol East have given democracy a big boost in
Singapore. Their vote was not a vote against the government but a vote
for a government of the people, by the people and for the people. We
need to remember that the opposition is as much a part of the government
as well as the party in power. The results of the Punggol East by-election is a wake-up call to all
political parties. The Reform Party and the SDA provided the opportunity
for the people of Punggol East to demonstrate their political maturity. Unfortunately they were both struck down by the hammer and lightning
and lost their pants! Their unfortunate loss should be seen as the
sacrifice to showcase the wisdom of the residents of Punggol East. The
SDP very wisely listened to the voice of the people and did not fall for
the bait of the PAP. The election results of Punggol East is a
beacon of hope for democracy in Singapore. The Workers Party will do
well to be aware that the seeds of defeat may be sown in times of
victory while the PAP can take comfort that the seeds of victory may be
sown in times of defeat. As long as the focus of the political parties
is on the welfare of the people, policies will benefit the people. What
is badly needed in a world that is becoming more competitive is a
sharing and pooling of ideas. No one party has the monopoly on wisdom. read more Punggol East contest: a tipping point What is one to make of the Workers’ Party victory in Punggol East? Its candidate Lee Li Lian got 54.2 per cent of votes beating People’s
Action Party’s Koh Poh Koon who got 43.7 per cent out of 29,415 valid
votes cast. First, that voters like loyalty, preferring candidates who stick by
them over a new face. Ms Lee who got 41 per cent in the General Election
in 2011 against the PAP’s Michael Palmer’s 54 per cent, improved her
margin by about 13 per cent, or nearly 4,000 voters read more Workers’ Party sizzling victory at Punggol East by-election – a tight slap in the face for PAP? WP also gained a total of 13.5% of the
swing votes from GE 2011′s 41 per cent to last night showing of 54.5% –
all within a mere 18 months and without really having to walk the
ground too much.
More significantly, the overwhelming
victory showed that Singaporeans are warming up to the Workers’ Party
as the most trusted credible opposition party and would vote for anyone
whom they have placed.
The victory was also significant as it
has busted the myth that in a 4-corner by-election battle, PAP would
have the upper hand but clearly this time round WP has provened
otherwise.
read more By-election result makes desire for change clear The result of the by-election is an
unambiguous sign that the people of Singapore want to see democratic
change. The people of Punggol East have strongly indicated that they
need to have their voice heard on matters affecting them. It is
important that the PAP pays heed and clears the obstacles to the
improvement of our country. The PAP’s campaign
neglected to engage with the real concerns affecting the country. Its
approach to the voters was characterised by warm sentiments devoid of
real proposals for change. Singaporeans are increasingly
committed to the idea of a Parliament that works to safeguard their
interests. It is a word of warning that the status quo is becoming
untenable for our day-to-day lives and a plain verdict on national
policies. read more My post-Punggol East dilemma When the results of the Punggol East by-election came out, I was surprised – as much by the result, as by my own response. First, there was the unexpected margin that the Workers’ Party
candidate received – something that surprised even her own leaders. Then came what seemed to be a slightly alarming thought: Would I see the People’s Action Party lose power in my lifetime? read more Punggol East – We are not daft Whoever thinks that the voters, in general and those in Hougang or
Punggol East, are daft got to get his head check. The maturity of the
voters, mind you they may not have first class honours or top doctors or
scholars, but many are very well educated, with tertiary education. And
many are definitely smarter and more qualified that the plane loads of
FTs being unloaded to replace them. At least our local FTs are carrying
genuine certificates and qualifications from world class universities
and from our world best primary and secondary schools with very well
qualified and trained teachers. The pattern of voting in Punggol East was simply brilliant. It was
reported that in every polling station, the WP won. There was no
exception or enclave where there was stronger or weaker support for the
PAP or WP. Translating this, it means the support is from the overall
majority of the voters. read more Singapore Government loses control of narrative Last weekend's by-election in Singapore has inflicted the fourth electoral blow in a row to the ruling People's Action Party. The PAP had already lost six seats to the opposition in the general
elections of May 2011, collected only just over one-third of the vote in
the presidential election of August 2011 (still enough to win against a
divided opposition), and then failed to win back an opposition seat in a
by-election in late 2012. The loss of the Single Member Constituency of
Punggol East is a particularly cruel blow because it is a new
constituency created only two years ago, and according to the former PAP MP for the constituency, this was done precisely because the PAP regarded it as safe territory. What went so wrong that the PAP could only win 43.7% of the vote last
Saturday? The electorate abuts other opposition electorates, but this
was not enough to make a dent in 2011, when the PAP won the seat
handsomely with 54.5% (coincidentally, exactly the same percentage won by Lee Li Lian of the Workers' Party on Saturday against the PAP and two other opposition candidates). read more Why PAP lost again It looks like PAP has not learned from the lessons of 2011 GE. LTK is right. The PAP of old is not the PAP of today. George Yeo made a
very good comment that when an organisation get going for many years,
the rot starts to set in and what they do not "realise" will set its
doom. He wanted to be the "reformist" voice inside the Party but
unfortunately he got booted out. In the sixties up to the early eighties, PAP has a very strong dedicated
grassroot base whose support begin from ordinary folks in the mass
anti-colonial movement. In the early days, PAP filled many ordinary
folks with just simple education backgrounds to be candidates. Later the
Barisan Socialis made a critical mistake when it withdrew from running
in the elections and so gave PAP a free hand. PAP responded by running
country with excellent economic policies that uplifted the people's
standard of living. With a strong grassroot base, it continued to enjoy
continuous support from the populace. read more Why the PAP lost so badly in the Punggol East by-election The results of the Punggol East by-election surprised everyone.
People expected a very close fight. No one expected PAP, by its own
standards, to be thrashed by such a wide margin. Even the professional
forecasters who make a living offering odds thought that the PAP was
going to win by 1000 votes. What then went wrong? When Michael Palmer resigned his seat, the Prime Minister saw no
urgency to call for a by-election. He said that there were some national
issues to be settled first. On hindsight, perhaps he should have stuck
to this initial intention. Unfortunately he did not. When the Singapore Democratic Party
announced its intention to contest the by-election and made known the
seriousness of this intention by going on walkabouts and house-to-house
visits in impressive style, the PAP changed its mind. read more History in the making in Punggol East Never in its more than fifty years of history has the PAP experienced
such a humiliating defeat as in the recently concluded Punggol East
by-election. Although the PAP candidate Dr. Koh Poh Koon had diligently
emphasised during the campaign that the by-election was about local
issues, the Punggol East voters have nevertheless unmistakably delivered
a clear message that this is a referendum on the PAP's performance
since GE 2011. PM Lee Hsien Loong and his millionaire ministers cannot
continue to be oblivious to the massive anger of the people over the
undemocratic policies of the PAP Government. The PAP brought in an eminent colorectal surgeon to be its candidate
thinking that his professional status would be an added advantage in
winning the heart of Punggol East voters. As a credit to him, he did
not exhibit any of the PAP arrogance in his approach to the voters and
in fact was quite down-to-earth in presenting his election programme to
them which was aimed at ameliorating their livelihood and living
conditions. But the PAP leaders did not consider it important that Dr.
Koh was a newbie parachuted into the constituency which may have been a
handicap in his effort to commune with the voters, especially the
elderly women. With the PAP big guns coming in to give much needed
support to Dr. Koh in his campaign, it would have been reasonable to
suppose it would have improved his chances to win. Especially with PM
Lee extolling Dr Koh's eminent qualities and promising that, if elected,
he would make him a political office holder. PM Lee might have overdone
it as this could have a counter-effect to the more down-to-earth
Punggol East voters and cut no ice with them. read more WP: How to win together The WP have no secret manual for success. It is really up to the rest to
swallow their pride and do likewise, then we shall all be winners. This is what they mean by a First World Parliament. Well it doesn't
exist anywhere else. Just like the PAP was once upon a time a very
unusual political party and government. The PAP must stop being superficial. What you do isn't as important as
showing a genuine change of heart in truly putting the people first.
When you do that you will find us surprisingly patient. The PAP might
have to sack quite a few of its self seeking members to achieve this
heart transplant. There is no way to win if you have lost your moral
authority. And if you are stupid enough to fix the WP, I am sure
citizens will make sure you have no opportunity to even repent. It is
far smarter to compete with the WP in parliament than to fight us
everywhere outside. read more
Repackage low wage jobs into 'jobs of the future' : Labour chief
The labour movement's plan to implement a progressive wage system for
low-wage workers is aimed at encouraging tripartite partners and
Singaporeans to look at low-wage jobs in a different light.
Labour chief Lim Swee Say told the media yesterday at a grassroots event
that he wants to make today's low-wage jobs into tomorrow's jobs of the
future.
He is confident this can be achieved in today's environment, compared with five years ago.
The NTUC will set wage targets for low-wage workers under its progressive wage approach.
Workers who are currently getting less than S$1,000 a month would strive
to earn at least S$1,000. For those already earning S$1,000, NTUC wants
to lift their wages to S$1,200.
According to Labour Chief Lim Swee Say, by 2015, 10,000 cleaners will earn at least $1,000 a month.
So why has the pay of cleaners been so miserable for so long. In fact,
some are earning less that they did in previous years. My gut feel is
there are just too much outsourcing, too much sub-contracting and too
many middlemen getting a cut of the pay that is actually due to the
cleaners.
We celebrate Labour Day but physical labour and dignity of
cleaners and security guards is not worth respecting, unlike the labour
of plastic surgeons and ministers. Of course, surgeons and ministers
deserve higher pay but cleaners need a decent minmum wage to survive
too.
Allowing cheaper foreign workers who are willing to accept lower pay also cause cleaners' pay to stagnate and even decrease.
The SDP reported on this website about the plight of 88-year old Mr Dawart Abdul who was suffering from prostate problems and, as a result, was
incontinent. The urine odour in his house caused much unhappiness among
his neighbours.
Members of the SDP's Community Services Unit
visited the octogenarian and brought him to consult our healthcare panel
member Dr Leong Yan Hoi.
We paid Mr Dawart a follow-up visit last week and found out that the
Care Corner Family Service Centre at Woodlands and Community
Development Council had provided Mr Dawart a wheelchair, some taxi
vouchers for transport, and a one-time supply of food rations.
But that's just one side of the story. What the Government gives with one hand, it takes back with the other.
'This is why
Singapore will never breed true creativity/a Steve Jobs/an artist like Banksy/
an affinity for nature. Our nation will never be a centre for excellence in high
tech/the arts/making babies,' says the Angry Bunch.
And
inevitably one or both sides use a uniquely Singaporean rhetorical tool:
Comparing Singapore with another country.
Whether the
issue is the culling of wild boars, or the falling birth rate, or whether
Sticker Lady is an artist or a vandal, or if the capping of mobile data usage is
fair to users, there is a type of statement that is becoming much too
familiar.
Price rises of property and oil-related items eased but COEs surged
Consumer prices rose more slowly than expected last month as pressures
from accommodation and oil-related items eased, but concerns about
longer-term inflation lingered amid tight markets for housing rentals,
car ownership quotas and low-skilled labour.
Inflation
slowed to 5 per cent last month from a year ago, the Monetary Authority
of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said
yesterday, slightly below the median economists' forecast of 5.1 per
cent. It was also a sharp improvement from April's 5.4 per cent, which
was the highest rate this year.
Measured month-on-month in
seasonally adjusted terms, the consumer price index (CPI) climbed 0.1
per cent after a 0.3-per-cent rise in April, matching expectations.
Accommodation cost inflation fell to 9 per cent last month from
12.7 per cent in April, largely due to the timing of the disbursements
of rebates for services and conservancy charges for HDB households.
Singapore's inflation slowed to 5% in May from a year earlier and
authorities cited moderating price pressures from wages and other
business costs, indicating the central bank might have room to ease
monetary policy slightly in October.
The May inflation was slightly below the median estimate of 5.1% of 11 economists polled by Reuters and a sharp improvement over April's 5.4%, the highest rate in 2012.
Central
banks in the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, India and
South Korea held rates this month, while China and Australia chose to
cut benchmark interest rates as growth concern increased and
inflationary pressures eased.
Singapore's inflation has, however,
remained high compared with other Asian countries due to a shortage of
homes and measures to cap the number of motor vehicles on the roads,
which sent car prices spiralling higher.
27-year-old PMET landed in A & E due to work stress and later resigned
Still remember me? Anyway, I have some bad news that I would like to share with you. Remember when I first emailed you, I was with a media company doing marketing
Actually, things had been well after then, and I have people telling me that marketing is the career path that I should be going. Well, when I thought that things will be better when I decided to move to a new company doing a wider scope. Unfortunately, dreams and reality are somehow very different.
In the new company, my boss is career-driven lady (I would not call her a slave-driver though), having calls and messages as late as 10pm, and even have to clear my work until 10pm almost everyday.
Along the way, I thought to myself that since I am still young and I don’t want to be labelled as a “strawberry”, I pushed myself and worked all my way till even midnight at times and to skip my part-time classes.
In the end, my health got affected. I even landed in A & E once due to chest pains. In the end, I tendered my resignation.
There seems to be a perception that people in homeless shelters normally don’t
get evicted, I have come across many cases of eviction and notice of
eviction from homeless shelters.
Perpetual queue of homeless?
As I understand it, homeless shelters are almost invariably always
full, with new homeless people all the time. So, unless one is evicted
or threatened with eviction, they wouldn’t know actually whether they
can fend for themselves, as most people will not volunteer to leave a
homeless shelter.
Interim Housing Scheme
Those in the Interim Housing Scheme also get evicted because they
cannot pay their rental.
How many homeless in shelters?
By the way, how many homeless shelters are there in Singapore, how
many people are housed in total, and who runs them?
In his speech he outlines the main economic challenges that Singapore
faces and goes on to describe his govt's approach towards these issues.
Most of what he said is familiar to us - need to keep taxes and
govt expenditure low, maintain growth to grow the pie and need to import
foreign labor so on.
Essentially, he propose to keep going along the
same path of the last 15-20 years with adjustments to address the
challenges. His speech was titled "Remaking the Singapore Economy"
contains little remaking but excuses on why we cannot make fundamental
changes to economic model.
"Globalisation and technology will widen
income distributions all over the world. You can see this trend in all
developed economies, from capitalist USA to socialist France, over the
last 30 years. Talented and enterprising individuals will continue to
earn a high premium, while pressure will grow on jobs in the middle,
because competition is intensifying globally. So inequality will grow
worldwide, and angst and social pressures will go up." - PM Lee
PM said nothing new in his speech to the
Economic Society of Singapore on 8 June 2012. Instead he hardened his
position on economic strategy with fallacious arguments, contrary to
public expectation of a change in
government attitude and policy following his well-publicized apology
just before the last general election in 2011.
The "alarming
implications" of his speech were highlighted by Kenneth Jeyaretnam (www.sonofadud.com).
Other writers have also made similar criticisms. In this posting, I
will zero in on just one key aspect of his subsequent Q&A session
when "Mr Lee said there is no country in the world where the population
gets smaller and incomes rise at the same time." (here)
Did I read it correctly, that "there is no country in the world where
the population gets smaller and incomes rise at the same time"? Prime
Minister, you are wrong. On the same day that PM's speech was published
(9 June), there was a feature article in the Straits Times showing
Estonia's population declining -0.65% while its GDP rose by 7.9% in
2011.
But it is by no means the only country to achieve it. There are at
least 3 other countries whose national income/GDP rose in 2011 while
population declined. In addition, 4 countries (Austria, Finland, Taiwan
and S Korea) whose populations effectively stagnated as they grew only
marginally, registered respectable real GDP growth rates of 2.7 to 5.2%;
and these are developed, high-income economies like Singapore. (All
statistics are taken from CIA Factbook.)
Population growth rate GDP real growth rate
1. Estonia – 0.65 % 7.9 %
2. Latvia -0.598 % 4.0 %
3. Lithuania -0.278 % 5.8 %
4. Ukraine -0.625 % 5.2 %
5. Austria 0.026 % 3.3 %
6. Finland 0.065 % 2.7 %
7. Taiwan 0.171 % 5.2 %
8. S Korea 0.204 % 3.6 %
Katong property more valuable than Hawaiian island
So the the Katong home of the late Liem Sioe Liong, one of
Indonesia’s richest men, is valued at approximately S$100 million,
according to a report in Indonesia’s TEMPO Interactive. The property is 86,000 sq ft.
It was reported yesterday that the billionaire boss of technology
giant Oracle is to buy 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. Larry
Ellison’s successful bid is unknown, but the asking price for the 141 sq
mile (365 sq km) was said to be between US$500m and $600m
Reminded me that in the late 1980s, the grounds of the Imperial
Palace in downtown Tokyo was said to be worth all the land in
California. Australia sold part of the land its embassy was on and paid
off half of its foreign debt.
My friend Gwee spotted this shocking piece of citizen journalism at STOMP today. It was a photo of an animal swimming — NAKED — in MacRitchie Reservoir.
This is scandalous! Why are there actual animals wandering in the wild, in our very own reservoirs? Why are they swimming in the very waters that we drink?
If it wasn't for SPH's STOMP, I would not have known about the dark underbelly of our nature reserves.
Isthere any government authority looking into this? Is this even a local monitor lizard?
#STOMPgate – Singapore online community’s moment of sweet schadenfreude
Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) – the organisation which owns and runs newspapers, magazines and websites (among other things) – has had to apologise to public transport provider SMRT after a content producer on their citizen journalism portal STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) was found to have posted false information about the operation of a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train.
This photograph was posted on STOMP last week alleging that the train was travelling with its doors open.
Ms Samantha Francis, under the anonymous nickname of ‘wasabi’, had initially submitted an article containing a photograph of an MRT train with its doors open, alleging that there had been a fault and that the doors had not closed while the train was moving from one station to another.
inSing.com, 25 Jun 2012
The
recent slate of heated arguments on public transport continues with two
more incidents that occurred on an MRT train and a bus.
In the MRT
incident, which occurred at around 8:15pm on 21 June in a westbound
train, a 60 year-old man got into a fight with a 20 year-old man after
the old man’s backpack bumped into the young man. An exchange of words
escalated into a fight, and the old man is said to have suffered
multiple facial injuries as a result. Both men were said to be
passengers on the train.
In the separate bus incident, two ‘uncles’
were caught on video fighting for a seat on a SBS bus. The 1:45 minute
video was uploaded on Youtube and has been watched by more than 83,000
people so far.
This time round, as it involved men, there is some real action as you can see later on the video below.
I think the recent spate of public commuters being embraced in quarrels
and fights may attest to the very high level of stress in our Singapore
society which is getting more and more crowded everywhere. Also, the
number of good jobs may seem to be getting more competitive and more
men and women, young and old are having more and more hair loss.
I think it is time for Mr Lui Tuck Yew to intervene using his Land
Transport Authority (LTA). We should consider having commuters buying
public travel insurance lest the MRT platform gap is too big for them or
they become victims of some warly commuters!
The SDP reported on this website about the plight of 
