Discriminatory practices by the PAP government

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To paraphrase Animal Farm: "All citizens are equal but some citizens (the vaccinated ones) are more equal than others."
There are reasons why a person chooses not to be vaccinated: no confidence in the vaccine, allergies, personal beliefs, religious beliefs etc.
On the one hand, the PAP government said no one will be forced to be vaccinated. On the other hand, the PAP government discriminates against those who choose not to be vaccinated with practices like this.

NDP 2021 to be held at Marina Bay floating platform with fewer spectators; all must be vaccinated against Covid-19​

National Day Parade celebrations at the Marina Bay floating platform in 2018.

Lim Min Zhang

June 30, 2021

SINGAPORE - This year's National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Marina Bay floating platform as a centralised, in-person event, but with fewer participants and spectators, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday (June 28).
Covid-19 precautions require all participants and spectators to be fully vaccinated, he said.
Performers must undergo antigen rapid testing before every rehearsal - even with rehearsals held in smaller groups - while spectators must undergo pre-event testing.
Dr Ng was speaking at Mandai Hill Camp ahead of SAF Day on July 1.
Earlier in the interview, he spoke about how the Singapore Armed Forces will adapt to a situation where Covid-19 will be endemic, and how large-scale national events could be carried out, with NDP as an example.
Asked why NDP was being held as an event with live performers and spectators despite persistent unlinked Covid-19 cases in the community, Dr Ng said: "Part of it is learning to live with the disease, an endemic disease. And by August, we hope two-thirds of our population would have received the vaccination."

In the first official comments about NDP 2021, he added: "The short answer is that we think it can be held safely, and it's an appropriate occasion to shift to living with the disease, but managing it so that you can get back to a new normal."
The new normal, in this instance, is not the usual crowd of 25,000, he said, adding that the NDP organising committee will give more details in a few days' time. The number of spectators will also be decided later, he said.
All spectators must be fully vaccinated. This refers to all those above 12 years old who are eligible for the national vaccination programme, he said.
Other than the usual combined parade and show, there will also be "heartland activities", he said, although he did not elaborate.

Last year, the NDP was held in a decentralised format, including a morning parade at the Padang and an evening show at Star Vista with far fewer participants than usual, as the organisers sought to avoid large crowds.
The evening show had involved 87 performers and about 150 spectators. This is in comparison to the more than 2,700 performers who were involved in NDP 2019's show segment.

Structures being set up at the Marina Bay floating platform on May 27, 2021.

Asked if there would be fireworks displays, which could potentially lead to crowds forming, Dr Ng said that Singaporeans need to play their part, and that it would be better to watch any displays from their homes.
"I think there will be administrators and safety ambassadors on the ground to help enforce, but the new normal also means that Singaporeans must take their own measures to protect themselves, especially if they're not vaccinated."
Asked whether there was enough time to prepare the annual bash on Aug 9, Dr Ng said: "If you ask the organising chairman, he'll say 'it's never enough'. But he'll have to live with what he has."
He added: "We hope that Singaporeans will understand if the show isn't as well prepared as in previous years, we've had less time to prepare."
He noted that preparations usually start in April or May.
"But NDP is as much about each Singaporean using the occasion to affirm together what we value about Singapore. We hope that the NDP will uplift, we hope that the NDP will encourage.
"We hope that the NDP will give us a wider perspective, because it's been a tough year, a year and a half, and I think with Singaporeans' help, we can achieve it."

 

[bobby]

Don't get us started with what is "discriminatory practices" by PAP gahmen......

 

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Mediacorp responds to ex-BBC journalist's allegations of bias, says it hires based on merit​

Mediacorp said that its dedicated news channel, CNA, has a diverse group of presenters.PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS

Hariz Baharudin

AUG 12, 2021


SINGAPORE - National broadcaster Mediacorp on Wednesday (Aug 11) said it was committed to equal opportunities and diversity in hiring, following allegations that one of its editors had said "viewers did not like watching darker-skinned presenters".
In a radio programme aired on the BBC World Service over the weekend, former BBC journalist Sharanjit Leyl said in a segment on racial harmony in Singapore that she had struggled to get hired at a local news broadcaster some 20 years ago.
"Had I been born Chinese, my life would have been a lot easier. It started with applying for jobs when I returned from North America in the 1990s, armed with a master's degree and broadcast journalism experience in Canada. I struggled to get my foot in the door at the local news broadcaster," Ms Sharanjit said on the show.
Mediacorp said in a statement that it is unable to comment on what had transpired then without specific details from her, but stressed that it is committed to equal opportunities and diversity in its workforce. This includes its on-air and on-camera talents, as well as behind-the-scenes crew and corporate employees.
"Our hiring policies and practices are based on merit, i.e. having the relevant skill sets that the role requires," said the statement.
Mediacorp added that its dedicated news channel, CNA, has a diverse group of presenters.

Some 30 per cent of CNA news presenters are from minority groups, it said. As for the channel's documentaries, specials and commissioned programmes which feature a presenter over the past two years, 60 per cent were presented by a person from a minority group.
Across the entire CNA newsroom - including reporters, producers and editors - 40 per cent are from minority groups, the broadcaster added.
"This is significantly above the national average," it said.
Ms Sharanjit's remarks were part of the BBC's series From Our Own Correspondent, which features insights from around the world.

She also spoke about her experience working for an American financial news agency that provided currency updates to a local television channel, and said of the channel: "They told my bosses they didn't want me doing TV updates for them."
She later "confronted the man who (now) runs the newsroom of that same TV channel, who ironically happens to be Indian Singaporean" on the topic of Indian and Malay presenters. According to her, the man replied that viewers "didn't like watching darker-skinned presenters".
Mediacorp said these comments appear to point to the company and its editor-in-chief Mr Walter Fernandez.
"We would like to clarify that Mr Fernandez did not make such a statement," said Mediacorp.

On the alleged confrontation, Mr Fernandez said it was actually a conversation during a media dinner in November 2018, when he and Ms Sharanjit were seated at the same table.
"To my recollection, I did not reference race or skin colour at all in our conversation," he said.
"What I did speak about was the number of Singaporeans with relevant skill sets who apply to be presenters, the rigorous selection process which includes written and on-camera tests as well as interviews with several senior editors. I also made the point that I was not part of the interview panel," he added.
On Thursday, Ms Sharanjit told ST that she and Mr Fernandez differed on what was discussed in the conversation they had. She also said her comments were not about reporters or producers but specifically about presenters.
In response, a Mediacorp spokesman said: “We trust that our earlier statement addresses these allegations. We have no further comment.”

 

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Rapper Subhas Nair says Mediacorp is “racist as f**k”, claims executive producer uses ethnic slur​

“Besides, all they ever wanted was to fulfill their KPIs. CNA/Mediacorp does not give a single f**k about migrant workers but they will control the narrative and masquerade their poverty porn as journalism,” Mr Nair wrote.



AUTHOR Obbana Rajah
DATE August 17, 2021

Singapore — In a series of Tweets, Rapper Subhas Nair hurled allegations at Mediacorp and an Executive Producer there for using an ethnic slur, censoring and eventually erasing his work a week before they were due to go live.
In a Tweet on Sunday (Aug 15), he wrote: “Mediacorp is racist as f**k. Once, they were going through lyrics for UTOPIA, and I used the word “millies” on the track.
The line was ‘Masek spend our millies money come they missionary’. One of their department heads asked me what the meaning of the word was…”


He added that when he explained the word was an abbreviation of ‘millions’, an Executive Producer, one Mark Pestana, replied: “Orh so that’s like n**** talk la”.


Mr Nair added that he wanted to respond but “they were already trying their best to censor our work and it was too risky in that moment to call him out”.
“Besides, all they ever wanted was to fulfill their KPIs. CNA/Mediacorp does not give a single f**k about migrant workers but they will control the narrative and masquerade their poverty porn as journalism,” Mr Nair wrote.


He also shared screenshots of his conversation with his lawyers after his song UTOPIA – made in collaboration with a band of migrant workers – where he assumed that he shared equal intellectual property rights with CNA.
However, he wrote: “The song had been live on all streaming platforms for nearly a month before the K. Muthusamy video and the ensuing political theatrics, after which CNA removed allmentions of my part from ‘ROAR’ and subsequently removed the UTOPIA track from all streaming services”.
He also added that he re-recorded and released the track UTOPIA. /TISG
TISG has reached out to both Mr Nair and to Mediacorp for comment and clarification.

 

[Incognito]

Another fully vaccinated person died because of prevailing medical conditions - chronic kidney disease and hypertension.
Finding it discrimination when non vaccinated people cannot dine in restaurants? Wait when we know that company did not pay last year bonus to a staff because he has prevailing medical conditions and advised by doctor to WFH. The doctor wrote and gave a memo to the company for the staff to WFH because of his chronic kidney disease and hypertension as well as his age. No vaccine was available last year. This staff worked as hard or even harder than the rest of his colleagues. But, he was the only one who didn't receive the bonus. The immediate supervisor verbally told him that this is because he was WFH. Besides the bonus not paid to him, the immediate supervisor increased his workload and even made his job difficult WFH.
This staff is fully vaccinated now. Although he is worried because of the reports that fully vaccinated people dying because of prevailing medical conditions, he is ready to return to the office, the immediate supervisor unfairly 'proposed' him to return to the office first while his other fully vaccinated and healthy colleagues still remained WFH. Now, only 50% of the workers can return to the workplace. Clearly, another discrimination.
Although the gov has said that no discrimination against those workers with prevailing medical conditions and need to WFH last year and provided help to them, MOM suggested the staff to resign when he went to MOM to feedback on this discrimination and asked for help.
So, talking about discrimination. This staff is surely being discriminated and stressed. In addition, it is difficult for him to find another job at this economic downturn and his age.
By the way, this staff works in our local big three banks reporting good profits and earnings every years. He is not working in a small company that is struggling for sustainability.

 

[Incognito]

I refer to the news on 26 August on Today newspaper - Unvaccinated workers count cost of not getting jabas Covid-19 workplace rules loom. Many workers with genuine reasons for not getting vaccines. Why make it difficult for them? Why not make vaccination as a law if there are zero side effects? Why add on the fear of job insecurity during this difficult time? Just pass the law if it is 100% safe. Please be reasonable and show empathy. On the newspaper, workers have also voiced out that employers will not redeploy their workers. I am a victim because of my prevailing medical conditions. I was not given my deserved bonus no matter how hard I worked. While working from home, I was even bring monitored after office hours. I asked for redeployment and was rejected. Imagine I am working in a big local bank and I have received many work performance awards yet I received such discriminations. How about those who work in SMEs?

 

[Incognito]

There are many expats from many countries here. Have we really go to the root of problem why only THEY? A concern on when this discriminatory law takes effect, this law will protect the minority of THEM.

 

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Elitism

Forum: How efforts to engage citizens' minds can come to nought​

SEP 18, 2021

I refer to the article "Vivian Balakrishnan apologises to PSP's Leong Mun Wai after 'illiterate' comment circulates online" (Sept 15).
If the People's Action Party wants to know why it has lost vote share and a second group representation constituency in the last election, it needs to look no further than this incident.
Voters can be put off by what they perceive as an elitist and condescending attitude towards the opposition.
The Government tries so hard to win the minds of the people, but it forgets that often the heart transcends the mind.
Ministers can spend hours making speeches about the benefits of having free trade agreements or the importance of stamping out racism.
But all these efforts to engage the logical minds of citizens come to nought when ministers make remarks that pierce the hearts of the people.

The Government often chastises Singaporeans for being racist or xenophobic, but does it have the moral high ground to do so when its own Cabinet ministers can be seen to be elitist?
Elitism is no less a form of discrimination than racism or xenophobia.
This incident also leads to the worrying question of whether such elitist thinking and chatter are also present at Cabinet meetings.

Victor Ng Beng Li

 

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Those unvaccinated against Covid-19 can no longer eat at hawker centres, enter malls, from Oct 13​

The Ministry of Health said that this is a move to protect unvaccinated individuals in the community and to reduce the strain on the healthcare system.

PHOTO: ST FILE

Adeline Tan

Oct 9, 2021

SINGAPORE - Unvaccinated individuals will no longer be able to dine in, go to shopping malls, hawker centres and coffee shops, or visit attractions from next Wednesday (Oct 13).
However, unvaccinated children who are 12 years old or below can still do so.
The Ministry of Health said on Saturday (Oct 9) that this is a move to protect unvaccinated individuals in the community and to reduce the strain on the healthcare system.
Those who have recovered from Covid-19, or have a valid negative pre-event test result, are also considered fully vaccinated.
Speaking at a press conference by the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 on Saturday (Oct 9), Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said: “There have been a few settings frequently visited by a significant proportion of infected individuals, including those who are unvaccinated, who later on fell very ill.”
He added that such settings include food and beverage (F&B) outlets, retail establishments and shopping centres.

Currently, those who are unvaccinated can dine in at hawker centres and coffee shops. They will no longer be allowed to do so under the new rules kicking in on Wednesday.
Instead, groups of up to only two fully vaccinated people will be allowed to dine in at hawker centres or coffee shops, as well as F&B establishments, MOH said.
Unvaccinated in S'pore? You no longer can eat at hawker centres, enter malls | THE BIG STORY

“Individuals who do not meet the above criteria can still buy takeaway food,” it added.
Unvaccinated people will also not be allowed to enter shopping malls or large standalone stores from Wednesday. Large standalone supermarkets are exempted.
MOH said businesses that are able to implement the new rules earlier than Wednesday are strongly encouraged to do so.

 

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Educational stratification, intellectual discrimination, elitism...

Forum: Relook need to hand GEP results to pupils in class​

Oct 15, 2021

Our young primary school pupils received their first lesson in education elitism on Tuesday, with the release of the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) selection test results.
In my child's class, pupils were called out by name, and presented with a letter inviting them to take part in the second round of testing.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the classroom changed, and the children were made painfully aware of the "haves" and the "have-nots".
Some of her classmates were visibly disappointed, with one even texting her parents to inform them that she "did not make it".
Those who were chosen were understandably elated, with a boy even waving the letter around outside the classroom as if he had won the Golden Ticket from Mr Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl's novel, while the rest looked on in silence.
This brings up two pertinent questions.

First, could the results have been handed out in a more subtle way, for example, through a mailed letter or e-mail to the parents of successful pupils, rather than being ceremoniously handed to the children directly in class, with predictable results.

Second, it brings up the issue of educational stratification and indeed whether it should be happening at the tender age of nine.

Reuben Wong (Dr)

 

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Racial profiling by the PAP government.
But not entirely accurate.
A more accurate racial profile would be for the son to become a food delivery rider instead of distributing flyers.

MCI takes down Hari Raya short film after criticism of racial stereotypes​

MCI said it decided to withdraw the video to avoid controversy and argument during the Hari Raya festive period. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Rei Kurohi
Tech Correspondent

May 1, 2022

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has taken down a Hari Raya short film that was criticised by some online for portraying stereotypes of the Malay community.
In response to queries, MCI said it has noted public feedback regarding the video, which was titled Messages for Syawal. It is in Malay with English subtitles.
"At its heart, the video was about a family's journey of resilience in facing challenging circumstances, and how mutual support and encouragement could nurture the process," said the ministry.
"We understand that the takeaways from any creative work is subjective. While most Malay/Muslim viewers, including the many who viewed it prior to release, perceived the story to be heart-warming, some expressed reservations."
MCI added that the Hari Raya festive period "should foremost be an occasion to celebrate what binds us together as communities".
"To avoid controversy and argument at such a time, we decided to withdraw the video."
MCI did not say when the video was uploaded and taken down, or how many people had viewed it.

​

The 2½-minute video, which had been posted on various Gov.sg social media channels ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Tuesday (May 3), featured a Malay family living in financial difficulties.
It was also uploaded on the Our Tampines Hub Facebook page on April 28 where it was described as "an inspiring story based on the theme of social mobility and anchored on poetic and familiar Malay proverbs".
The video description said: "The message is about helping tenants progress on to home ownership, education support (Uplift) and the importance of dual-income households, while weaving in values like resilience and determination."

The father, played by veteran actor Johan Jaafar, works as a mover and his wife is a housewife. His young son, Syawal, is too embarrassed to invite his friends to the family's rental flat.
The son later skips school to distribute fliers and earn extra money. When his parents discover this, his mother decides to return to work and his father takes on a new job.
The film also features various government schemes, including the Uplift scheme to help students from lower-income backgrounds stay in school and grants to help rental flat tenants buy a Housing Board flat.
It ends with the family moving into a new flat and the message "may we celebrate a brighter tomorrow" along with a Hari Raya greeting.
Some netizens contrasted the Hari Raya video's sombre tone with Gov.sg's Chinese New Year 2022 video, which was a light-hearted and optimistic take on celebrating amid Covid-19 restrictions.
Others said the Hari Raya video did not focus on festivities and suggested families can celebrate only after achieving socio-economic success.


Instagram page Lepak Conversations, which posts content related to the Malay/Muslim community, said the video had portrayed Malays in a "reductive and condescending manner".
"It is tiring and hurtful to have to contend with narratives based on stereotypes and a lens that views our community as one that is always deficient," said the page.

 

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Cost of enlisting women into NS, even in non-military roles, far outweighs benefits: Ng Eng Hen​

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen cautioned that enlisting women into NS would delay their entry into workforce. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent
UPDATED

May 9, 2022

SINGAPORE - The societal cost of enlisting women into national service (NS), even for non-military roles, would far outweigh any benefits, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday (May 9).
Compulsory national service can be justified only if it serves a critical need of national security and defence, he said, adding that there are "distinct pitfalls" if conscription is implemented for any other reason, whether it is for men or women.
Responding to Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon GRC) and Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang GRC) in Parliament, Dr Ng cautioned that enlisting women into NS would delay their entry into the workforce, and this would have the immediate effect of accentuating a decline in the local manpower pool and a reduction of household incomes.
"Even if women are enlisted for non-military national service roles to augment our healthcare and social services, it may make manpower shortages in other industries worse," Dr Ng said.
"Over the long term, it will impose a great cost, not only on women themselves, but also their families, children and spouses, and society as a whole," he added.
"Is that cost justified to send a signal or to reverse stereotypes? From the Government's perspective, no. I think most Singaporeans would say 'no' too, from a security perspective."
During the debate on the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development in Parliament last month, Ms Tan had suggested expanding the scope of national service to include care vocations, enlisting both young men and women to these roles.

​

She suggested that this would help to support the community with their caregiving needs, reduce the stress of Singapore's people and workforce, and more critically, help care work be seen as a shared civic responsibility.
In her third IPS-Nathan Lecture last year, Ms Corinna Lim, executive director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), had also called for NS to be made gender neutral, and expanded beyond the traditional domains of the army, navy, air force and police.
On Monday, Dr Ng said the primary reason for enlistment into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) must be to train soldiers who are able to defend Singapore, and repel, if not defeat, enemies who want to invade the country.


Similarly, enlistment into the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has to be based on the national need for homeland security and emergency services, he added.
"It is very far off from the proposals to conscript women to serve in roles such as caregivers and healthcare workers, or to send a signal, a powerful signal, of gender equality," he noted.
"These are inadequate justifications or reasons to mandate that someone must suspend individual liberties as a civilian, give up two years of his or her life, and if they do not, they go to jail, as our courts have sentenced NS defaulters."
Dr Ng added that proposals for women to enlist into NS are not new, and that the issue was debated as early as 1967 when conscription was introduced.
He said the Enlistment Act, passed in 1970, does not exclude women, but the Government at the time thought it would be an “extra burden” to enlist women, given the acute shortage of trainers and commanders then.
When the issue resurfaced in 1983, the assessment was that the SAF could cope with the manpower shortage, Dr Ng added.
While he acknowledged that birth rates have continued to fall, Dr Ng said the use of technology and the optimisation of resources have produced a modern SAF that is more lethal and effective despite a smaller number of soldiers.
"If Singapore is ever threatened with an existential threat by an aggressor, and there is a sudden and grave need to boost our military, I am certain that Mindef (Ministry of Defence) and the SAF will call on the government of that day to enlist not only women, but even teenagers and older men into military service... The Ukrainians did exactly this when their homeland was invaded," he added.

Dr Ng said there are currently more than 1,600 uniformed servicewomen in the SAF, making up about 8 per cent of its regulars.
Women make up 5 per cent of SAF regulars holding senior ranks of lieutenant-colonel, military expert 6, or master warrant officer and above.
Additionally, more than 500 women have also been trained and deployed in different roles as volunteers in the SAF Volunteer Corps since 2015, the minister said.
"There is currently no need for us to enlist women (into) national service," he told the House. "Women are already contributing to national building as regulars and volunteers," he added.
Ms Poh, a former helicopter pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force, asked if Mindef had plans to recruit more full-time servicewomen, and do more for those looking to start a family beyond flexible work arrangements.
In response, Dr Ng said the SAF’s recruitment has been fairly successful and attrition has been low, but he did not provide specific figures.
“We have stepped up our recruitment of women because the SAF wants more women to join our ranks,” Dr Ng said, citing the establishment of the SAF Women Outreach Office in July 2020 as an example.

The SAF has also set up “work near home” sites in north-east, south-west and central Singapore. “Work away from office is very much, we believe, an entrenched concept... We are going to embrace it, see how it works,” Dr Ng said.
In a Facebook post later in the day, Ms Tan said she appreciated the minister’s reply and clarified that her suggestion for women to be enlisted in roles beyond the military was not driven by a simplistic ideal of equality but to meet national caregiving needs in the face of an ageing population.
Reiterating her call for NS to be expanded to include caregiving roles, she wrote: “If national service means service to the nation, it only makes sense that we evolve it to meet the most pressing needs of our nation.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Sexism practiced by the PAP government.

Cost of enlisting women into NS, even in non-military roles, far outweighs benefits: Ng Eng Hen​

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen cautioned that enlisting women into NS would delay their entry into workforce. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent
UPDATED

May 9, 2022

SINGAPORE - The societal cost of enlisting women into national service (NS), even for non-military roles, would far outweigh any benefits, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday (May 9).
Compulsory national service can be justified only if it serves a critical need of national security and defence, he said, adding that there are "distinct pitfalls" if conscription is implemented for any other reason, whether it is for men or women.
Responding to Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon GRC) and Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang GRC) in Parliament, Dr Ng cautioned that enlisting women into NS would delay their entry into the workforce, and this would have the immediate effect of accentuating a decline in the local manpower pool and a reduction of household incomes.
"Even if women are enlisted for non-military national service roles to augment our healthcare and social services, it may make manpower shortages in other industries worse," Dr Ng said.
"Over the long term, it will impose a great cost, not only on women themselves, but also their families, children and spouses, and society as a whole," he added.
"Is that cost justified to send a signal or to reverse stereotypes? From the Government's perspective, no. I think most Singaporeans would say 'no' too, from a security perspective."
During the debate on the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development in Parliament last month, Ms Tan had suggested expanding the scope of national service to include care vocations, enlisting both young men and women to these roles.

​

She suggested that this would help to support the community with their caregiving needs, reduce the stress of Singapore's people and workforce, and more critically, help care work be seen as a shared civic responsibility.
In her third IPS-Nathan Lecture last year, Ms Corinna Lim, executive director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), had also called for NS to be made gender neutral, and expanded beyond the traditional domains of the army, navy, air force and police.
On Monday, Dr Ng said the primary reason for enlistment into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) must be to train soldiers who are able to defend Singapore, and repel, if not defeat, enemies who want to invade the country.


Similarly, enlistment into the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has to be based on the national need for homeland security and emergency services, he added.
"It is very far off from the proposals to conscript women to serve in roles such as caregivers and healthcare workers, or to send a signal, a powerful signal, of gender equality," he noted.
"These are inadequate justifications or reasons to mandate that someone must suspend individual liberties as a civilian, give up two years of his or her life, and if they do not, they go to jail, as our courts have sentenced NS defaulters."
Dr Ng added that proposals for women to enlist into NS are not new, and that the issue was debated as early as 1967 when conscription was introduced.
He said the Enlistment Act, passed in 1970, does not exclude women, but the Government at the time thought it would be an “extra burden” to enlist women, given the acute shortage of trainers and commanders then.
When the issue resurfaced in 1983, the assessment was that the SAF could cope with the manpower shortage, Dr Ng added.
While he acknowledged that birth rates have continued to fall, Dr Ng said the use of technology and the optimisation of resources have produced a modern SAF that is more lethal and effective despite a smaller number of soldiers.
"If Singapore is ever threatened with an existential threat by an aggressor, and there is a sudden and grave need to boost our military, I am certain that Mindef (Ministry of Defence) and the SAF will call on the government of that day to enlist not only women, but even teenagers and older men into military service... The Ukrainians did exactly this when their homeland was invaded," he added.

Dr Ng said there are currently more than 1,600 uniformed servicewomen in the SAF, making up about 8 per cent of its regulars.
Women make up 5 per cent of SAF regulars holding senior ranks of lieutenant-colonel, military expert 6, or master warrant officer and above.
Additionally, more than 500 women have also been trained and deployed in different roles as volunteers in the SAF Volunteer Corps since 2015, the minister said.
"There is currently no need for us to enlist women (into) national service," he told the House. "Women are already contributing to national building as regulars and volunteers," he added.
Ms Poh, a former helicopter pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force, asked if Mindef had plans to recruit more full-time servicewomen, and do more for those looking to start a family beyond flexible work arrangements.
In response, Dr Ng said the SAF’s recruitment has been fairly successful and attrition has been low, but he did not provide specific figures.
“We have stepped up our recruitment of women because the SAF wants more women to join our ranks,” Dr Ng said, citing the establishment of the SAF Women Outreach Office in July 2020 as an example.

The SAF has also set up “work near home” sites in north-east, south-west and central Singapore. “Work away from office is very much, we believe, an entrenched concept... We are going to embrace it, see how it works,” Dr Ng said.
In a Facebook post later in the day, Ms Tan said she appreciated the minister’s reply and clarified that her suggestion for women to be enlisted in roles beyond the military was not driven by a simplistic ideal of equality but to meet national caregiving needs in the face of an ageing population.
Reiterating her call for NS to be expanded to include caregiving roles, she wrote: “If national service means service to the nation, it only makes sense that we evolve it to meet the most pressing needs of our nation.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Different lease renewal prices for different religions.

"The spokesman said some temples have faced difficulties forking out 30-year lease renewal premiums of about $1 million to $3 million in recent years.
New sites for Chinese temples, churches and Hindu temples are sold on 30-year leases via tenders, with each site open only to a particular religious group.
Mosque sites, meanwhile, are allocated to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore at a price determined by the chief valuer.
It is not publicly known how lease renewal premiums for all types of religious land are calculated."

Religious organisations hope to pay less for leasehold land as Govt reviews tender policies​

Zion Bishan Bible-Presbyterian Church, whose 30-year lease ended on June 30, took up a short-term tenancy of three years. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Ng Keng Gene

Jul 12, 2022

SINGAPORE - The policies to calculate land prices for places of worship are under review, and religious organisations hope it means they will soon pay less for leasehold land.
Sources told The Straits Times about the ongoing review, which comes as some religious groups are having difficulty renewing leases for their sites owing to high costs.
Asked about the review, the Ministry of National Development (MND) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said the Government "is committed to ensuring that our place of worship land policies meet Singaporeans' religious needs".
"We have therefore embarked on a review of our place of worship land tender framework and will share more details when ready," the two agencies told ST. They did not share more details.
Representatives from three churches said they were among the churches that met Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong last July to discuss lease renewals. They were told about the review then.
The prices of land for places of worship have been high in recent years, they noted.
A spokesman for the Taoist Federation (Singapore), which has about 160 members, said Mr Tong had also met federation representatives and informed them about the review.


The spokesman said some temples have faced difficulties forking out 30-year lease renewal premiums of about $1 million to $3 million in recent years.
New sites for Chinese temples, churches and Hindu temples are sold on 30-year leases via tenders, with each site open only to a particular religious group.
Mosque sites, meanwhile, are allocated to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore at a price determined by the chief valuer.


It is not publicly known how lease renewal premiums for all types of religious land are calculated. Two main factors could be considered, suggested ERA Realty's head of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak.
First, the price of land in the area that the place of worship is located. Second, the tender prices of comparable religious land parcels, with adjustments for differences in location and date of land sale.
Besides these two factors, Mr Mak said the Government may also, in its review, consider the intangible benefits to users and the place of worship's contribution to building a harmonious community.
The last changes to the place of worship land policies were announced in September 2018, and included no longer awarding such sites purely on the basis of price.
That review came on the heels of Eternal Pure Land - a commercial, profit-focused entity and a subsidiary of an Australian-listed company - winning a tender in 2014 for a 30-year leasehold Chinese temple site in Sengkang with a $5.2 million bid.
Since then, religious groups have to go through a pre-qualification stage to demonstrate that they actively contribute to the community and have a genuine need for worship space. Land is then awarded to the highest qualifying bidder.

Tender prices for places of worship land under the Government Land Sales programme, however, have remained high.
For instance, winning bids for two Chinese temple sites in Punggol were $2,150 and $2,204.23 per sq m per plot ratio in 2019, compared with $1,875 for a site in Sengkang in 2015 and $1,311.42 for a Woodlands site in 2014.
While bids for church land have come down from 2013 rates, the latest winning bids of $2,503.65 per sq m per plot ratio in 2020 and $1,999.57 per sq m per plot ratio in 2019 are comparable to recent successful Chinese temple bids.
MND and SLA told ST that pending the review's outcome, religious organisations with expiring leases can either take up the standard 30-year lease renewal or a short-term tenancy of three years, which can be renewed for another three years.
Zion Bishan Bible-Presbyterian Church, whose 30-year lease ended on June 30, took up the short-term option.
The church's senior pastor, the Reverend Alby Yip, told ST that the authorities had advised it to do so instead of locking itself in for 30 years. That way, the church would not miss out on any benefits the review could bring.
He said the church was told that when the review is complete, it could terminate the short-term tenancy and negotiate a new lease without penalty.

Rev Yip said the church is now paying about $17,000 per month. This was the best option, he said, as a fresh 30-year lease was estimated to cost between $12 million and $15 million, which would work out to at least about $30,000 per month.
He hopes the review will lower lease prices significantly and allow places of worship to use their funds for community causes.
"Religious organisations are non-profit organisations.... Every year we start with a zero-base budget not knowing how much donations will come in," he said.
Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church, which has a 99-year lease ending in September, was also advised by SLA to take up a short-term tenancy and is negotiating terms.

Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church, which has a 99-year lease ending in September, was advised by SLA to take up a short-term tenancy and is negotiating terms. PHOTO: ST FILE
The church's lease renewal committee said it would not make sense to pay large amounts for a new lease, which could otherwise go towards serving the community.
"We are not a commercial entity paying rent to a landlord before turning in a profit, and so it would be wrong to collect public monies only for most of it to go into the land," it said.
The Taoist Federation (Singapore) spokesman said funds saved on lower-priced leases could go towards helping temples manage the rising costs of maintaining and renovating their facilities.
The Hindu Endowments Board and Singapore Buddhist Federation declined to comment on the review, as both said lease renewal matters are handled by the respective temples' management.

 

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Ethnic self-help groups still vital as they customise support for beneficiaries: PM Lee​

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PM Lee Hsien Loong touring the activities at the CDAC 30th Anniversary and Headquarters Open House 2022. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Jean Iau

Sep 18, 2022


SINGAPORE - Ethnic-based self-help groups such as the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) are still an important source of aid for low-income families as they are able to customise programmes most relevant to their beneficiaries.
Speaking at CDAC's 30th Anniversary Open House on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that from time to time, people ask why these ethnic groups, which also include Mendaki, Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda) and Eurasian Association, are still relevant to Singapore's multiracial society.
PM Lee explained that while the Government provides assistance to low-income families regardless of ethnicity, these self-help groups – which are funded by the Government and community donations of 50 cents to $3 per worker each month – are able to provide additional support and address issues without raising racial or religious sensitivities.
These groups also provide a vehicle for more well-off Singaporeans to support members from their own communities, said PM Lee at CDAC's headquarters in Tanjong Katong.
He added: "It is a very natural human impulse, and it strengthens the bonds between members of the community. It builds a sense of self-reliance and pride in the community, which complements their Singapore identity."
Looking ahead, self-help groups such as CDAC, which benefits close to 18,000 households, will help with social mobility even as Singapore's economy becomes more developed and economic growth is harder to come by, said PM Lee.
He was speaking as the guest of honour at the open house, which was also attended by Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung and other MPs.

About 650 members of the public attended the open house where activities like balloon sculpting, badge making and pebble painting were enjoyed by families despite the rain on Sunday morning.
CDAC, established in 1992, offers mentoring support, tuition programmes and financial aid to low-income families.
Last year, 17,700 households benefited from its programmes and support. This is down from 18,600 households in 2020 and a slight increase from the 17,000 in 2019.

CDAC offers mentoring support, tuition programmes and financial aid to low-income families. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
This year, its tuition programme has run classes for 5,000 students, and its bursary with the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations has spent almost $3 million on more than 7,000 students to help them with their education.
Executive director of CDAC Tan Yap Kin told the media the council will roll out more initiatives next year, including weekly play-based learning for 100 children aged five and six years old that allows them to build models using sustainable materials at their own pace.
CDAC will also increase its use of technology for education, such as programmes with artificial intelligence to help students research topics and improve their grammar and sentence structure.
Ms Jolin Toh's household is among those that have benefited from CDAC's initiatives.
The 20-year-old nursing undergraduate at Singapore Institute of Technology attended tuition and character-building classes and now volunteers with CDAC.
Her three younger siblings, aged 13 to 18, also benefit from CDAC's programmes while her mother, telemarketer Mandy Teo, 48, attends classes on managing finances and parenting skills.
Ms Toh said of the programmes: "They teach you life values that can go a long way. For instance, resilience or giving back to society because it gives you opportunities to guide younger people so that you feel like you're giving back and want to do more for others."

 

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"Under anti-terror rules, it is an offence for a person to make false claims about carrying out an act of terrorism.
Those found guilty can be punished with a maximum fine of $500,000 or a maximum jail term of 10 years or both."

SG got no balls to jail US citizen.
If this was a Sinkie, the Sinkie would be fined and jailed for weeks, months, or even years.

American who made bomb threat on SIA flight to get stern warning​

Police were alerted to the alleged bomb threat and SQ33 was escorted to Changi Airport by Republic of Singapore Air Force fighter jets. ST PHOTO: FELINE LIM

Jessie Lim

Oct 27, 2022

SINGAPORE - The 37-year-old man who claimed there was a bomb on board an Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight is set to receive a stern warning for using threatening words.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min said on Thursday that the prosecution intends to issue a stern warning to Hien Duc after reviewing a report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
American Hien Duc was one of 208 passengers on board SQ33 which left San Francisco at 10.26pm on Sept 26 (Sept 27, 1.26pm Singapore time). The flight was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 5am on Sept 28.
In her written submissions, DPP Lim had said a psychiatrist from the IMH had assessed that Hien Duc posed a danger to the public.
She added: “The stressors of being in a foreign country, including the fact that he has no fixed place to stay and no one to monitor his compliance with his medications, are risk factors for relapse.”
Hien Duc’s lawyer Johannes Hadi, from Eugene Thuraisingam law firm, told The Straits Times his client has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Hien Duc is also expected to plead guilty to a charge of slapping a man while on board SQ33.

Preliminary investigations revealed that nearly six hours out from the plane’s arrival in Singapore, he claimed there was a bomb in a hand-carry bag.
He then grabbed another passenger’s luggage from the cabin’s overhead compartment.
When a cabin crew tried to intervene and restrain him, Hien Duc allegedly assaulted him.
Checks by the cabin crew did not reveal any suspicious items in the passenger’s luggage.
Police were alerted to the alleged bomb threat and SQ33 was escorted to Changi Airport by Republic of Singapore Air Force fighter jets.
Units from the Airport Police Division and Special Operations Command’s K-9 Unit, as well as the Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives Defence Group, were mobilised to investigate and the threat turned out to be false.
Hien Duc will return to court to plead guilty on Nov 4.
For voluntarily causing hurt, he can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
For using threatening words likely to cause alarm, he could have been fined up to $5,000.

 

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This Sinkie was jailed for 4 months for a similar offence about a bomb hoax.

Bomb hoax call in 2004 lands man in jail​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent


JAN 22, 2019


Justice was finally served yesterday when a man was sent to jail over false messages he made in 2004 involving a "bomb" at late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's Oxley Road house.
The court heard that Ganesan Singaravel fled Singapore on Jan 22, 2005, after informing the police about the purported bomb.
He was caught overstaying in the United States last year and told the authorities there that he wanted to return to Singapore. The Singaporean was detained when he came back here on July 15 last year.
Ganesan, now 61, was sentenced to four months' jail yesterday after pleading guilty to an offence under the Telecommunications Act.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Samynathan told the court that Ganesan went to an Orchard Towers pub around midnight on Nov 13, 2004, and drank whisky until about 4am. He then went to a nearby convenience store to buy more drinks.
At around 5am, a policeman attached to the Combined Operations Room of the Singapore Police Force received a call from Ganesan, who made references to a bomb at Mr Lee's house.
The DPP added: "The call was made by the accused from a public phone located next to the Thai Embassy. The call's message was clearly false, and the accused knew that the text of the call was false.


"A patrol car was sent to Orchard Towers to interview and arrest the accused. The accused was coherent during his interactions with the officers at the scene.
"Meanwhile, the officers who were already stationed at Oxley Road were told to step up patrols and be alert and vigilant."
Ganesan was charged on Nov 16, 2004, but while out on bail, he fled Singapore about two months later and came back only last year.
Defence lawyers Ravinderpal Singh and James Ow Yong stated in their mitigation plea that their client was drunk when he committed the offence.
The plea also stated: "The accused realises how alcohol has utterly destroyed his life and family, leading to his wife to divorce him, leaving him with nothing and his children to give up on him.
"The accused's family no longer wants anything to do with him. The offence has taken a terrible toll on the accused."

 

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Forum: Regardless of income, mothers make same sacrifice​

Feb 22, 2023

The Working Mother’s Child Relief is intended to encourage women to remain in the workforce after having children (Budget 2023: $3k more in Baby Bonus, more financial support for children’s early years, Feb 15).
Yet, the recent change in calculating the relief – from a percentage of earned income to a fixed sum – is surprising.
It is laudable to offer more help to mothers earning lower incomes. However, the change means that mothers earning more than $54,000 annually or $4,300 monthly now get less relief if they have children from 2024 onwards.
With fresh graduates earning a median salary of $4,200, the change suggests that women who decide to prioritise their career first and have children later will not get as much support as with the old system (More fresh university grads in full-time work with higher pay: Survey, Feb 20).
Regardless of how much mothers earn, they all make the same sacrifice every day by having to put their child, sometimes from a young age, in the care of a third party when they go to work.
What impact will this change have on women and their ability to balance their career and family interests?
It would be useful to share more data and show the projected impact on working women and birth rates.

Seha Yatim

 

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Forum: Gender bias hindering brother’s job search​

Apr 19, 2023

Recently, my elder brother applied to be a bus attendant at a private school bus transport company. The job basically entails ensuring the safety of the children on board by making sure they stay seated and fasten their seatbelts, and guiding them when they board and alight from the bus.
To his surprise, he was told by the company that only women were eligible for the job. The reason given was that parents were more comfortable with women interacting with their children.
My brother also responded to an advertisement for staff in a doctor’s clinic, and was told female applicants were preferred. The same happened when he responded to an ad for bookshop assistants.
Such gender discrimination in hiring should not be allowed. Job-seekers should be assessed solely on their level of competence to do the job.

Teo Kok Seah

 

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Forum: Give all students a chance at DSA by beefing up school resources​

May 26, 2023

As I look at many of the Direct School Admission (DSA) requirements for secondary school, I get the impression that Singapore’s education system is becoming more elitist rather than meritocratic.
To get a spot in the secondary school of your choice based on, for example, sports, you would need to have certain achievements and awards and have taken part in competitions.
Many neighbourhood primary schools have a limited number of co-curricular activities (CCAs) and the students may not have the chance to be exposed to the sport they are keen on. Those who want to spend more time at a sport to be much better at it may require extra lessons at their own expense, something their parents might not be able to afford.
For instance, gymnastics is not offered as a CCA in most schools. If the child is keen on this, the parents need to have both time and money for the child to take classes outside school. To do gymnastics at a competitive level, a commitment of at least six hours a week is required on weekdays.
This is also true for other sports, such as soccer, as not all schools offer this.
In addition, not all neighbourhood schools offer exposure in varied activities for their students such as coding, robotics or entering competitions such as the Maths Olympiad.
With the difference in exposure starting from young, meritocracy is no longer based on one’s abilities and talents, but whether your parents have resources.

We should make it such that “every school is a good school” by allocating more resources in terms of bigger budgets, more teachers and programmes to all schools, and ensure the same opportunities for students in all schools.

Huang Jia Hui