The Wayangs and Window Dressings Before General Election

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Apr 30, 2010
Top marks for quality of life
By Lin Yingxin

RESIDENTS in Singapore have given top marks to the quality of life in the city state, with most saying they are satisfied with the living, working and leisure environment.

A seven-month lifestyle survey, which interviewed 4,000 from August last year to March this year, showed that more people find Singapore a great place to live, work and play in, compared to a 2006 survey.

On the whole, 14 per cent more (up to 92.4 per cent from 2006) said they were satisfied with the living environment, 12 per cent more (86.7 per cent) were happier with their working environment and 13 per cent more (83.9 per cent) were happy with the leisure environment.

Nearly nine in 10 were satisfied or very satisfied with the variety of housing types in singapore, with four-room Housing Board flats being the most preferred housing type. Many also preferred to stay in high-rise residential developments.

Among the elderly, 78.5 per cent said they preferred to live in regular housing and grow old in a familiar environment with their families. The four most important housing factors to them were cost, proximity to public transport facilities, neighbourhood facilities, and adequate provision of healthcare facilities.

While most respondents work in either the central or western region, they prefer to work near home or in their immediate neighbourhood. Other factors influencing their preference of workplace are ease of access and proximity to public transport facilities. Public transport usage remained high, with 63 per cent of respondents using it to travel to work. It is found that cheaper fares and higher frequencies of bus and train services will encourage greater public transport usage.

However, less than half of the respondents are satisfied with Singapore's night-life, and would like to see more diverse night-time offerings, events and festivals, and a more vibrant street and public life.

Parents of young children feel that more family friendly facilities and activities are needed to allow them to participate in the night-life activities, as well as longer operating hours for public transport and night-time amenities.

They also wanted more opportunities to be involved in deciding how the living environment is shaped.

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Apr 30, 2010
Strong sense of belonging
By Lin Yingxin

SINGAPOREANS have a strong sense of belonging to their country, a lifestyle survey by the Urban Redevelopment Authority has shown.

Of the 4,000 interviewed for the survey carried out from August last eyar to March this year, 89.8 per cent of the respondents declared Singapore is their home, 73.5 per cent said they would retire in Singapore and 71 per cent hope that their future generations will stay on here.

The top three places that hold the fondest memories for the respondents are the housing estates, national icons and destinations, as well as conservation places and old buildings. Parks and greenery across the island state also make Singapore special.

More than 72 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the conservation of heritage buildings and areas in Singapore. They find the distinctive architecture and building style, rich history and heritage, as well as the traditional trades and activities appealing.

However, 73.2 per cent felt that the physical landscape in Singapore changes too quickly, and 64.2 per cent felt that not enough familiar buildings and places are conserved. Most feel that familiar places should be kept as they contribute strongly to their sense of belonging.

Amenities, parks and greenery, as well as commercial centres were held up as the top three aspects that are most important to the identity of a neighbourhood. Almost all respondents agreed that hawker centres should be maintained as one of the key amenities in housing estates.

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Apr 30, 2010
Foreigners find S'pore vibrant

MOST foreigners are happy staying in Singapore and find the city state vibrant and exciting, and are attracted here by the clean and safe environment.

They even like the hot and humid climate in tropical Singapore, which they feel has its own distinctive character, with the greenery contributing strongly to its identity.

A lifestyle survey carried out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and released on Friday, showed that most foreigners are generally satisfied with the top five facilities they mostly use - supermarket, shopping centres and shopping malls, financial services (banks and STM), coffeeshops, hawker centres and food courts, and restaurants and cafes.

Nearly 93 per cent of the respondents said they are satisfied or very satisfied with the living environment in Singapore, in terms of essential facilities such as health-care and transport, variety of housing types and design of residential environment.

Most of them prefer to live in the fringe of the city centre or in the city centre, with 93.2 per cent of them renting their homes and 6.8 per cent owning them.

The survey showed that 55.4 per cent of the foreign respondents prefer living in public to private housing, with three-room Housing Board flats and private condominiums being the most preferred housing types.

Most of the foreigners who placed their children in nurseries or childcare centres are satisfied with these facilities. For those with children above seven years, most of them send them to international schools.

Eight in 10 of them take some form of public transport to work .

They are also satisfied with the leisure environment in Singapore, in terms of the range of facilities and activities available.

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Apr 30, 2010
Great place to live, work, play

SINGAPORE is a great place to live, work and play in.

Nearly 84 per cent of 4,000 residents here gave the thumbs up to the city state in a lifestyle survey carried out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) from August 2009 to March this year - a 10.2 per cent jump from the survey carried out in 2006.

Many more - 78 per cent - also find Singapore to be a vibrant and exciting city with its own distinctive character, an increase of 11.4 per cent from 2006.

Specifically, more than 90 per cent the respondents said that they were satisfied with the living environment, over 85 per cent were satisfied with the working environment and over 80 per cent were satisfied with the leisure offerings in Singapore.

The remaking of Singapore has also not gone unnoticed by foreigners. Over 85 per cent felt that Singapore was a great place to live, work and play in, and 81 per cent of them agreed that it has its own distinctive character.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan highlighted these key survey findings when he spoke at the URA corporate plan seminar on Friday morning.

Describing the survey results as 'encouraging', Mr Mah said what heartened him more is that Singaporeans identify more with the country.

He noted that close to 90 per cent of the respondents say that Singapore is their home and where they belong. - 20 per cent more from the last survey. And more than 70 per cent want to retire in Singapore. Similarly, over 70 per cent of them hope that their future generations will be based in Singapore.

Mr Mah said the survey showed that the remaking of Singapore efforts are showing a positive trend - that Singaporeans love their city more.

He told the seminar: 'With more Singaporeans travelling round the world and working across borders, Singapore must still mean something special, as home, to our people. A house is not a home. Simply having a good living environment and first world infrastructure will not create an endearing home.

'The character of a city, what makes it stand out among many new cities, goes beyond new buildings or iconic structures. Take Times Square, New York and West End, London for example. Their claim to fame is not based on the latest or best infrastructure, but they are distinctive in character and have established a personality of their own in peoples' minds.

'Therefore, while we congratulate ourselves for our achievements, we need also to remind ourselves that the work does not stop here. More needs to be done. With our new hardware in place, we need to look beyond the physical, to search for the 'soul' of our city, and work towards enhancing it. '

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Apr 30, 2010
34,000 jobs added in Q1

SINGAPORE employers added 34,000 workers to their payrolls in the first three months as companies step up hiring in tandem with the robust economic recovery.

This is the third quarterly increase after two quarters of decline in the first half of last year, said the Ministry of Manpower, which released the latest jobs update on Friday morning.

Q1's employment growth is still slightly lower than the 37,500 in the last quarter of 2009, which hit a seasonal high due to the year-end festivities. But the labour market has made a strong rebound from the same quarter a year ago when 6,200 jobs were axed due to the global economic downturn.

With the strong job gains, the seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate dipped to 2.2 per cent in March - the lowest level since the first quarter of 2008 when the jobless rate was at 1.9 per cent, and 2.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year.

Among the resident labour force, the unemployment rate fell to 3.2 per cent from a revised 3.3 per cent last December and 4.8 per cent in the third quarter. The bulk of the Q1 employment gains continued to come from services which added 31,200 jobs, while manufacturing hired 3,400 more workers - for the second straight quarter after shedding workers for four consecutive quarters.

Construction hiring slowed down slightly, adding 800 workers, after 20 successive quarters of employment gains from Q1 of 2005. MOM said 1,600 workers were retrenched and 500 contracts were terminated prematurely during the first quarter, resulting in 2,100 workers made redundant from January to March.

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Apr 30, 2010
Old folks in S'pore an asset
Study finds they give more help than they receive from their families, compared with the elderly elsewhere in Asia
By Carolyn Quek

COMPARED with old folk in other Asian states, the elderly in Singapore are contributing both practically and financially to their families, according to a 2008 global ageing study by Oxford University.

Unfortunately, they also get less support of the same kind from their children and grandchildren.

Said British gerontologist Sarah Harper, one of the researchers behind the study: 'We have this idea that older people are a burden on our society but that's because we tend to look at it through our tax system, that they are not in work.'

This is far from the truth, because the study showed that older people still made significant contributions towards their loved ones at home, she said yesterday, in presenting the study at a conference by the International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes.

Around 1,000 seniors each from various places worldwide were asked if they had given financial and practical support to their family members over a six-month period.

The study also asked respondents - aged above 55 - if their children or grandchildren had done the same for them.

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Apr 29, 2010
North West CDC's Club-100 expands
By Ang Yiying

SUPPORT for a food aid fund for needy families in the north west district is growing.

North West Community Development Council's Club-100 @ North West, which was launched in May 2008 to get donors to pledge $100 or more a month for a year through Giro, has beefed up its numbers. It now has 209 members, up from 146 in the last financial year.

In the past two financial years, it has garnered $413,000 - through Giro donations and a charity golf event - which helped 1,800 low-income families.

The money goes to buying food rations and food vouchers for these families in the north west district, which covers Sembawang and Holland-Bukit Panjang. The donations cover about half of the $500,000 needed a year for food aid, with the CDC funding the rest.

At a networking dinner for Club-100 donors, potential donors and its corporate partners at the Parliament House on Friday, Mayor of North West District Teo Ho Pin called the programme 'a successful model of the 'more-able helping the less-able''.

He said: 'When the CDCs were initiated by Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong in 1997, one of the main objectives of the CDCs is to seek the more able and successful to help the less able and less well off in our community. The community especially those who receive help, will naturally respect the successful who look after them instead of resenting their success.'

Re: The Window Dressings Before General Election

Excellent thread. I was reading this thread and cannot wait to give PAP my vote until................................................................................

......SLAP !! Aoi, wake up, you be late for work if you contiue to sleep !!. Well back to reality and back to the grind. What a miserable life in the rat race.

Self-masturbating news from local proxy gov-controlled news agents.

Re: The Window Dressings Before General Election

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Gold 90 FM. Hear Only The Good Stuff

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Apr 29, 2010
S'pore is No.2 sports city

SINGAPORE'S burgeoning reputation as a sporting capital was confirmed earlier this week when the Republic was named the world's No.2 Ultimate Sports City.

The biennial accolade - handed out by the London-based Sport Business Group on Tuesday - placed Singapore just behind Melbourne in terms of being the best city to host a sports event.

Singapore's prominence on the world sports map has grown in recent times, after clinching headline events like the annual Formula One night race and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in August.

But to truly become an ultimate sporting destination, more needs to be done to make Singapore a city that lives and breathes sport.

'The ranking is a recognition of the hard work and the investment we have put in over the last few years,' Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Transport) Teo Ser Luck told The Straits Times yesterday.

'But becoming a sports city is not just about bringing in events. Sports has to become a way of life for all Singaporeans and we have to work hard to strengthen that culture.'

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Apr 29, 2010
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INDEX
Retail's first rise in 3 years

CUSTOMER satisfaction in Singapore's retail sector has risen for the first time in three years.

According to the latest quarterly figures released by the Singapore Management University's Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) yesterday, the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) for the retail sector rose to 68.2 points for the first few months of the year, up from 65.8 last year and just shy of the 2007 high of 68.5.

But despite the improvement, Singapore still lags behind countries such as the United States, Britain and South Korea, which typically score in the 70s in the 100-point ratings.

A healthier world economy and the rejuvenation of shops in Orchard Road were some of the factors that boosted Singapore's latest score, said the ISE, which also released figures for the info-communication sector yesterday.

The ISE tabulates the customer satisfaction score based on three components: consumers' expectations of a company, whether the company offers value for money and the quality of the product or service.

A similar methodology is used in the US, South Korea and about 15 European countries.

Devil Within said:

Self-masturbating news from local proxy gov-controlled news agents.

Click to expand...

No no no, our press, the States' Times, according to the MIWs, is a non-partisan, credible and always-report-the-truth media which was most respected and trusted by the mass. This was reported in the States' Times during the parliament debate during the topic of cooling off day.

We can trust them to be fair during the election cooling off day reporting and they may highlight the weakness of PAPa too. BTW, who is their Chairman again ?

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Apr 29, 2010
Steady recovery for 2010

ECONOMISTS looking for reasons to upgrade their Singapore growth forecasts into double-digit territory were presented with plenty yesterday.

A review by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) found that the economy's recovery from the global recession has been stronger than rebounds from previous downturns.

In fact, the economy has rallied so sharply that it is now about 2.8 per cent above its previous peak in the first quarter of 2008, the MAS said in its twice-yearly macroeconomic review yesterday.

And with the recovery broadening and global demand returning, the economy is likely to continue on a 'firm recovery path' for the rest of the year.

This is likely to raise hopes of higher economic growth than the Government's official forecast of 7 per cent to

9 per cent this year. Economists have suggested that even double-digit growth is not out of the question, as long as the economy stays on the recovery path in the coming months.

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Apr 27, 2010
Better jobs in 'One S'pore'

WORKERS who proactively upgrade their skills stand to get better jobs and new opportunities as Singapore transforms its economy, said Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong.

In his May Day message on Tuesday, Mr Gan said Singapore will focus on transforming the economy and creating inclusive growth as it moves forward.

This means upgrading across all levels, with workers, bosses, unions and the Government all playing a part in tackling future challenges and growing Singapore.

As the economy moves to boost productivity, workers' skills will need to move up in tandem. Those who are flexible and adaptable, and take ownership of their own upgrading to improve their skills will be in a betetr postition to seize new job opportunities, said Mr Gah.

Low-wage workers can turn to the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and the Workfare Training Scheme (WTS) to train and upgrade current skills.

Professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) can take advantage of the expanded Continuing Education and Training (CET) system to support their growth.

Mr Gan added that there will also be a new system to help PMETs and their employers resolve employment disputes.

Having a 'comprehensive national CET system' is crucial as Singapore gears up for high GDP growth of up to 9 per cent this year.

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Apr 27, 2010
Job losses less than feared

A TOTAL of 23,430 workers lost their jobs last year, the Manpower Ministry said in a report released yesterday.

While this was higher than in 2008, when 16,880 workers became redundant, it was well below the levels of previous recessions.

The number of job losses was also less than initially feared: When the crisis hit, many warned that retrenchments could hit record rates of more than 30,000.

While blue-collar workers made up the bulk of those who lost their jobs (48 per cent) last year, a large proportion - 41 per cent - were professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). Clerical, sales and service workers made up the remainder.

Experts contacted said government packages such as the $4.5 billion Jobs Credit Scheme and the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur) training package helped keep job losses relatively low, despite the severity of the downturn which many had feared would become Singapore's worst.

The schemes were part of a Resilience Package designed to help companies hold on to workers.

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Apr 27, 2010
Firms to keep older workers

EFFORTS to convince companies to keep workers beyond the age of 62 are bearing fruit, a new survey has shown.

Of 3,200 companies surveyed, more than three of five said they would keep those workers.

And out of 9,400 local employees from various sectors who had reached 62, 92 per cent said they were allowed to continue working.

These findings are encouraging, as they show employers do value older workers, said Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong yesterday at the 4th International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes Conference at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

On the other hand, they also indicate that more needs to be done to get more employers on board, he noted.

The statistics were from a Ministry of Manpower survey conducted between October and December last year. The companies surveyed together employ more than 800,000 employees.

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Apr 26, 2010
Diversity at more schools

MORE schools are honing diversity in the classroom and nurturing well-rounded students.

On Monday, nine primary and six secondary schools received the Programme for School-Based Excellence and Niche Programme status respectively.

Over 160 schools are now niches of excellence, said the Education Ministry (MOE).

Introduced in 2005, the awards recognise institutions that help students develop soft skills such as teamwork, resilience, creativity, respect, responsibility and a sense of purpose.

MOE is targeting 180 schools to develop areas of excellence by 2012.

There are now 68 Programme for School-Based Excellence primary schools and 40 Niche Programme secondary schools.

Schools under these two schemes receive additional funding support to further raise the quality and reach of their school-based programmes in different areas.

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Apr 26, 2010
92% get offer to work after 62
By Melissa Kok & Melissa Sim

OUT of 9,400 local employees, 92 per cent said they were allowed to continue working even after turning 62.

Out of this group, 30 per cent were offered re-employment, mostly in the same job.

And of those who were offered jobs nearly all - 94 per cent - accepted the offer.

These details were revealed by Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong on Monday, at the 4th International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes Conference.

The statistics were preliminary findings from a Ministry of Manpower survey conducted between October and December last year. More than 3,000 employers and 964,000 employees were polled in the survey.

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Apr 26, 2010
Boost for social workers

SOCIAL service programmes supported by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will get a $2.6 million boost starting from this month.

The NCSS is urging organisations running these 126 programmes to use the funds to raise the salaries of social workers. Most funded programmes may receive about $30,000 from NCSS.

Organisations welcomed the news, coming after an announcement last month that the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports would be giving $3.9 million to increase the salaries of social workers in government-funded programmes.

NCSS said the funds could together benefit about 300 social workers - half the number of social workers here - who could enjoy a monthly pay rise of about $300 to $500.

Mr Mani Joseph, assistant director of Asian Women's Welfare Association (AWWA) Family Service Centre, said increasing salaries was a way of recognising social workers, who have been stretched in the last two years during the economic downturn.

He said he hoped that organisations would use the extra funds for salaries of social workers and not other areas.