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The Workers' Party

[h=1]14.06.08 - Serangoon North Zone Party[/h]Updated <abbr title="Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 11:35pm" data-utime="1403364932" class="timestamp">about 2 weeks ago</abbr> · Taken at Serangoon North Ave1 Blk 143

We were glad to have Associate Lawyer from ATMD Bird & Bird, Ms Cassandra Ow, who gave a Community Talk on Wills and Probate during our Zone Party.

We also thanked the Police Officers from Serangoon Neighbourhood Police Centre for setting up a booth at the Zone Party, to educate residents on crime prevention.

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Come celebrate National Day with us! Tickets Available for sales at all 5 divisions.


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[h=1]14.06.21 - Serangoon Division Tea in the Park[/h]Updated <abbr title="Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 2:48am" data-utime="1404326911" class="timestamp">on Wednesday</abbr> · Taken at Mei Hwan Crescent Playground

Serangoon Division Tea in the Park at Mei Hwan Crescent Playground.

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Stood in for my colleague Lilian at the WPGC futsal tournament at Rivervale Walk in Punggol East SMC this morning. Was particularly thrilled to hear of a team of 6-8 year olds taking on players twice their age! And their seniors so kindly reciprocated by letting them score a couple of goals. Good stuff. Many thanks to all the participating teams.

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The results for the Monthly Quiz (June) is out!

Congratulations to:

Sarah Lim SXXXX396D

Kwang Wee Yew SXXXX455G

Rianne Meurzec SXXXX360C

We will be sending you your prizes in the mail shortly.

If you’re following our quiz, here are the answers to last month’s question:

Answers to Monthly Quiz (June 2014)

Q1. The Workers' Party (WP) has set up a charity fund to run community programmes like financial aid, food distribution and health screenings. What is the name of the charity fund called?

Ans: WPCF

Q2. What is the minimum Sum that applies to CPF members who turn 55 between 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015?

Ans: $155000

Q3. Where was the location for Paya Lebar Division Walk-To-Bond, on the 31st May 2014?

Ans: Punggol

The July edition of the Monthly Quiz is also now up so what are you waiting for? Answer 3 very simple questions and you stand to win $10 worth of Kinokuniya book vouchers! Click on the link below to participate.



The WP Youth Wing | Monthly Quiz
wpyouth.sg

The Workers’ Party Youth Wing Monthly Quiz aims to educate members of the public about Singapore and the Workers’ Party.

 
[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

[/URL][h=2]Parliamentary Questions for 7 July 2014 Sitting[/h]
July 7, 2014 at 10:45am
Workers' Party MPs and NCMPs have tabled several questions for Monday's sitting on a range of issues, including the new bus contracting model and the recent security breach of SingPass accounts. Watch this space for updates as the MPs will also speak on the MediShield Life Review Committee report and Little India riot Committee of Inquiry report.





QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER*


*4. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport under the new Government contracting model for public buses (a) how does the Government plan to buy back the public bus infrastructure and operating assets currently owned by the two public transport operators (PTOs); (b) how will the value of these assets be assessed;(c) how will the Government ensure that the PTOs do not profit from the disposal of these assets; and (d) how will the Government fund these asset purchases.


*5. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Government expects to make an operating loss over the long term under the new Government contracting model for public buses; and (b) approximately how much operating subsidies the Government expects to inject into the public bus system each year.


*6. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Government has any plans to extend the new public bus contracting model to the MRT system; and (b) whether the Government is satisfied with the current MRT ownership and operating model.


*10. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in respect of the recent security breach of SingPass accounts (a) what additional interim and permanent measures are being put in place to ensure that the operator carries out its operational roles, particularly in the monitoring,investigation and flagging of suspicious activities on the platform; (b) what is the latest update on the Ministry's investigations into the breaches,including when the full findings will be released; and (c) whether efforts have been made to find out whether the security breach is larger than the 1,560 accounts reported.


*17. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development since 2001 (a) what percentage of the Child Development Co-Savings Scheme budget allocated for babies born into households of one-room to three-room flats, four-room flats, five-room and executive flats, and private property respectively, have been disbursed; (b) what percentage of children in each of these household types have received the full co-matching amount; and (c) what are the reasons for the differences in take-up rates amongst these groups, if any.


*23. Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the discovery of unused ballot boxes that are not disposed of in a proper manner during the last presidential election(a) whether the Elections Department has studied the prospect of treating all ballot boxes, used or unused, as controlled items until the point of destruction in all future elections; and (b) what changes has theElections Department introduced to its processes to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident in future.


*27. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will provide a national data bank on commercial rentals including effective rents with variable components and, if so, when.




QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER


2. Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs if he can provide (i) the racial breakdown (Chinese, Malay,Indian, and Others), in percentages, of full-time national servicemen and regulars who are currently serving in the Singapore Police Force (SPF) andSingapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) respectively; and (ii) the racial breakdown (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Others), in percentages, of NSmen in SPF and SCDF respectively.


3. Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs of the full-time national servicemen and regulars currently serving in the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force (a)what is the breakdown in percentages of those who are (i) senior officers (ii)junior officers (iii) non-commissioned officers, respectively; and (b) for each group, what is the racial breakdown in percentages for (i) Chinese (ii) Malay(iii) Indian (iv) Others, respectively.


4. Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs of the NSmen currently serving in the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force (a) what is the breakdown in percentages of those who are (i) senior officers (ii) junior officers (iii) non-commissioned officers respectively;and (b) for each group, what is the racial breakdown in percentages for (i) Chinese (ii)Malay (iii) Indian (iv) Others respectively.


9. Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Defence if he can provide (i) the racial breakdown (Chinese, Malay, Indian,and Others), in percentages,of full-time national servicemen and regulars who are currently serving in the Air Force, Navy and Army respectively; and (ii) the racial breakdown (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Others), in percentages, of NSmen in the AirForce, Navy and Army respectively.


10. Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Defence if he can provide (i) the racial breakdown (Chinese, Malay, Indian,and Others), in percentages, of full-time national servicemen and regulars who are currently trained in the artillery, signals and armour vocations of the Army respectively; and (ii) the racial breakdown (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Others), in percentages,of NSmen in the aforesaid vocations.


11. Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Defence of the full-time national servicemen and regulars currently serving in the AirForce, Navy and Army (a) what is the breakdown in percentages of those who are (i) commissioned officers (ii) warrant officers (iii) specialists (iv)enlistees, respectively;and (b) for each group, what is the racial breakdown in percentages for (i) Chinese (ii)Malay (iii) Indian (iv) Others, respectively.


12. Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Defence of the NSmen currently serving in the Air Force, Navy and Army (a) what is the breakdown in percentages of those who are (i) commissioned officers (ii) warrant officers (iii) specialists (iv) enlistees, respectively; and (b) foreach group, what is the racial breakdown in percentages for (i) Chinese (ii)Malay (iii) Indian (iv) Others, respectively.


18. Mr Chen Show Mao: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many patients have benefited from the Interim Caregiver Service to-date (b)how many people are currently on the waitlist and how long is the waitlist; (c)how many instances have there been where patients who qualify for the service have turned down the service and why; and (d) how many caregivers will there be when the service is made available this year to all restructured hospitals and community hospitals and how many patients can this number of caregivers support.


19. Mr Chen Show Mao: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many patients have made claims from Medisave for overseas elective treatments each year since such use was approved; (b) how much has been claimed per year since such use was approved; (c) what is the breakdown of the treatments that claims have been made for; and (d) in cases where the treatments required hospitalisation, how many days of hospital stay per year do the claims represent.


20. Mr Chen Show Mao: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what dollar amounts in pre-employment grants (PEG) have been awarded to medical and dental students since the inception of the scheme; (b) how many medical and dental students respectively received offers of PEG; and (c)how many accepted such offers to work in Singapore.


23. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there is apportionment of costs between SMRT and LTA for the$900 million rail asset renewal plan announced by SMRT in 2012; (b) if so, what is the apportionment of the costs between SMRT and LTA and the basis for the apportionment; and (c) how will the asset renewal plan be affected by the Rail Financing Model proposal submitted by SMRT.


24. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the details of theRail Financing Model proposal submitted by SMRT.


26. Ms Lee Li Lian: To ask the Minister for Education what is the median salary of teachers who are graduates and diploma holders respectively at (i) MOE kindergartens and (ii) primary schools.


27. Ms Lee Li Lian: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in respect of Singaporean children eligible for the Child Development Account (CDA) as of 31 December 2013 (a) what is the percentage of (i)children who have not opened an account; (ii) first-born and second-born children whose parents have not saved up to the maximum of $6,000 in their accounts; (iii) children with maximum CDA savings whose savings are used up in the first six years; and (b) what is the total amount of CDA funds used for education, healthcare and others respectively.
 
[h=2]Parliamentary Questions for 8 July 2014 Sitting[/h]
July 8, 2014 at 1:10pm
Parliament continues today with WP MPs raising concerns on housing, CPF, transport, and finance. MPs will also be debating the MediShield Life Review Committee's report.





QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER*


*9. Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Manpower as of 2014, what is the average amount used for public housing as a percentage of the CPF Ordinary Accounts of CPF members at age 55 years and above.


*10. Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Manpower since the inception of CPF Life what is the number and percentage of CPF members at age 55 years who opt for the CPF Life Standard Plan and are able to set aside (i) their cohort's Minimum Sum Cash Component (MSCC) in full; and (ii) their cohort's Minimum Sum in full.


*14. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) how many years, if any, in the last 20 years is GIC unable to pay the interest on the Special Singapore Government Securities (SSGS) owed to the CPF Board from its normal investment returns; (b) what are the returns from GIC's investment portfolio after accounting for the interest payable on the SSGS in each of the past 20 years; and (c) what extraordinary measures, if any, are taken in the last 20 years when normal GIC returns are insufficient to pay the SSGS interest rate.


*29. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the Bus Service Reliability Framework what are (i) the total incentives paid out to operators; (ii) the total penalties imposed on operators; and (iii) the key measures that operators have employed which have been successful in reducing Excess Waiting Time (EWT).


*33. Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) as of June 2014, what is the number of pensioners under the Fixed Amount On Ward Scheme (FAW), Co-Payment On Ward Scheme (CPW) and Comprehensive Co-Payment Scheme (CCS); and (b) what is the financial impact of MediShield Life on these pensioners.




QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER


2. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many first-timer BTO applicants have currently made three or more unsuccessful attempts for BTO flats in non-mature estates; (b) how many of the 200 such applicants in July 2013 have been successful in subsequent BTO launches; (c) how many of the 200 applicants have not attempted to apply since then; and (d) whether HDB will consider allowing first-timer applicants who have made four unsuccessful attempts to receive automatic success at the head of the queue at their fifth attempt.



3. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the specific implementation details and desired outcomes of the Fusion AnalyticS for public Transport Emergency Response (FASTER) project undertaken by LTA, SMRT, StarHub and IBM; (b) how much of this project is expected to cost the LTA; (c) what business benefits will be gained by the other partners; (d) what is the implementation timeline of this project; and (e) what safeguards are being taken to ensure that the privacy and personal data of individual passengers will be protected.
 
[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

[/URL]NCMP Gerald Giam welcomes changes to MediShield Life, while raising concerns on premium subsidies, reserves and capital requirements, transparency of data, portability of medical insurance, and integrated shield plans.


Debate on MediShield Life Committee Report – NCMP Gerald Giam
wp.sg

By Non-Constituency MP, Gerald Giam [Delivered in Parliament on 8 July 2014] Madam Speaker, Anxiety about healthcare affordability weighs...

 
[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

[/URL]NCMP Yee Jenn Jong expressed his support for MediShield Life with further suggestions on keeping costs low by promoting healthy lifestyles, managing costs of drugs, using technology to improve healthcare systems and data, and evaluating cost effectiveness of the healthcare industry.


Keeping Healthcare Costs Manageable (Debate on MediShield Life Committee Report) – NCMP Yee Jenn...
wp.sg

By Non-Constituency MP, Yee Jenn Jong [Delivered in Parliament on 8 Jul 2014] Mr Deputy Speaker, I...

 
[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

[/URL]MP Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap expresses concern on the impact of inflation on medical costs, and suggests extending the Taxi subsidy scheme as well as covering the cost of medical test kits for all beneficiaries under Medifund.


Keeping Healthcare Costs Manageable (Debate on MediShield Life Committee Report) – MP Muhamad...
wp.sg

By MP for Aljunied GRC, Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap [Delivered in Parliament on 9 Jul 2014] Mdm Speaker, I...

 
Always a pleasure to be among friends at Masjid Alkaff Mosque Kg Melayu during the holy Ramadan period. Many a night over this period, the mosque opens its doors for Iftar (the evening meal when Muslims break their fast) to the Bangladeshi foreign worker community who reside at the Kaki Bukit dormitories adjacent to Eunos constituency. We all have much to learn from our Malay-Muslim leaders about compassion, generosity and mutual-respect.
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Visited the History of Chinese schools exhibition at Hwa Chong Institution today with my dad, a retired Chinese school teacher who had taught for over 30 years in Singapore. He identified the Maths (Algebra and Geometry) and Chinese books as those he used when he was a secondary and high school student in the 1940s and 50s, while the Geography and History books were those that my elder sister used as a student. My sister was in one of the last few batches who studied in Chinese schools till secondary 4.

At the peak, there were 349 Chinese schools in Singapore, big and small. Some were so small like the one in Jln Tua Kong (Cheong Nam Public School in the newspaper cutting) and the one in Joo Chiat (next to old Joo Chiat market) where there were just a couple of classrooms. One that caught my attention was The Happy School 快乐学校. It was funded and run by entertainers of Gay World from 1946-1979 and was located at Geylang Lor 14. After the war, there were many poor children without school living in Geylang. Several entertainers and friends chipped in their personal money and ran the school, without any school fees for these children. It even ran classes at night.

Chinese schools have played their part in the development of Singapore. Many who visited the exhibition were in their 50s to 90s, and were mostly students or educators from the era when Chinese schools were popular in Singapore.

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Pritam Singh

CPF Series

Article 3: Howe Now
30 January 1994, The Straits Times

This article traces how the CPF Minimum Sum scheme was born.

The 1984 Howe Yoon Chong Report of the Committee of the Aged, often referred to simply as the 'Howe Yoon Chong Report' represented the genesis of the CF Minimum Sum Scheme that was introduced in 1987 and continues today, rising yearly, much to frustration of each new cohort that turns 55.

In this 1994 article, Cherian George recounts how Singaporeans absolutely ravaged the report’s principal recommendation – to raise the CPF withdrawal age from 55 to 60 and then to 65.

The problem at hand that led to the recommendation? In Cherian’s words, “[H]ow to ensure that the minority of CPF members who were incapable of managing their own finances did not squander their savings prematurely, thus becoming a burden to society.”

The Minimum Sum Scheme was mooted a few weeks after the public uproar that ensued following the report. Whether they accepted it or not, Singaporeans woke up to the philosophy of regular payouts from age 60 until 1994, through the Minimum Sum Scheme rather than a lump sum payout, until 1994 when the article was written.

Then, the Goh Chok Tong government declared that the Minimum Sum, pegged at $34,600 in 1994 would be raised progressively by $5000 each year to $80,000 by 2004. The Minimum Sum is now almost double that for the latest cohort of CPF members who turn 55. Then PM Goh’s message in 1994 was not too different from Manpower Minister’s message in parliament this week – “Our CPF withdrawal age at 55 is totally out of step with today’s reality and life expectations.”

How far should concerns over a minority’s potential actions in frittering their monies determine the structure of the CPF Board’s retirement policies? Is it realistic to expect greater education to minimise the prospect of CPF members who mismanage their CPF monies? Are there any realistic solutions to address the fear (real for any government) of Singaporeans with no CPF savings in their old-age and who do not have other retirement income sources (e.g. rental of HDB unit, family support etc.), taking into account the moral hazard/s involved?

What I find odd about the Minimum Sum Scheme is that it keeps going up for each cohort on account of inflation, but the rates on our CPF monies don’t seem to rise on the account of inflation in tandem – this anomaly needs some bridging.

Minimum Sum Scheme and the percentage of active members who met the Minimum Sum from 1996-2006 (note the reducing number) - http://mycpf.cpf.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/27ACA8E5-7D0D-431F-B74B-D8D3A3E43463/0/CPFTrends_MSS.pdf



Howe Now?
[url]www.scribd.com


The fact remains that the report remains one of the most important documents in Singapore's attempt to deal with the challenges of a greying population.

[/URL]
 
[URL="https://www.facebook.com/wpyouth"]The Workers' Party Youth Wing (WPYW)

[/URL][h=1]Youth Day Art Competition 2014: Prize Presentation[/h]Updated <abbr title="Monday, July 14, 2014 at 2:54pm" data-utime="1405320872" class="timestamp">5 hours ago</abbr>

On Saturday, 12 July 2014, the Workers' Party Youth Wing held the prize presentation cum art exhibition for its inaugural Youth Day Art Competition 2014. The prize presentation was conducted at the Workers' Party Headquarters at 216G Syed Alwi Road.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our contestants for their hard work and creative efforts, as well as Mr Low Thia Kiang, MP for Aljunied GRC and Secretary-General of the Workers' Party, for presenting the prizes and Mr Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap, MP for Aljunied GRC and President of the Workers' Party Youth Wing.

http://wpyouth.sg/2014/07/<wbr>youth-day-art-competition-2<wbr>014-prize-presentation/


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Pritam Singh

Team WP was privileged to break fast at Darul Arqam over the weekend. The Darul Arqam volunteers were a pleasure to converse with as usual. Renewed acquaintances and friendships and also met PAP MP Zainal Sapari. Good for all of us to sit together with our kind hosts. Politics must be left outside our places of worship / religious institutions when it comes to matters of faith.


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