The Workers' Party

[sengkang]

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)

我 认为，现在正是施行减少班级学生人数计划的最佳时机。由于学生人数逐年减少，我们或许不需要聘请比教育部原先计划中的更多的教师。比方说，小三和小四的班 级可以先开始减少学生人数到每班30名学生，然后逐步将这个比例扩展到小五和小六，朝人数较少的班级的目标前进。这或许需要重新设计学校里的一些基础设施 并增加多一些课室。
较少学生人数的班级使教师能更好地了解每一个学生。新加坡的教育体系正朝向一个更加强调全面化的教育、品格和以价值观为基础的方向发展，教师对个别学生的 了解因而就显得更加重要。此外，好些家长总是觉得学校里的老师无法有足够的时间和注意力来教导他们的孩子应付学校的课业和考试，这是他们认为孩子必须上额 外补习课的原因。班级人数少也有助于教师的课室管理的工作，使他们能有多余的时间关注那些学习能力比较弱的学生。
The best time to do the planning for smaller class sizes is now. With increasingly smaller student enrolment, we may not need many more teachers than what MOE has already planned to recruit. We can start to move towards smaller class sizes, say starting at 30 students per class from primary 3 and 4, and then gradually moving towards that ratio for primary 5 and 6. This would also necessitate some re-design of the physical infrastructure in schools to have more classrooms. The ratio can be further reviewed at a later stage to aim to reach the OECD’s average.
The smaller class size will also allow teachers to better understand individual students. This is even more important now as Singapore move towards a more holistic character and values-based education system. Also, an oft cited reason for parents to have tuition for their children is because they feel teachers are not able to provide the attention needed by their children to catch up with our demanding syllabus. It will also help make classroom management easier for teachers, who may otherwise not be able to pay attention to the weaker students.







减少学校班级学生的人数 - Towards Smaller Class Sizes in School
The following is a Chinese article reproduced from my submission to WP's Hammer article published in December 2014. The English translation is provided for your convenience. 减少学校班级学生的人数...
yeejj.wordpress.com

 

[sengkang]

Saturday is our workout day!

 

[sengkang]

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)

Sharing some photos from my house visits today.




Beautiful nature
I captured a few interesting photographs of nature with my mobile phone during house visits in Joo Chiat SMC today and decided to share these. There are beautiful wonders of nature in our midst if ...
joochiattoday.wordpress.com

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]Daniel PS Goh

Election Fever I. Winning Isn't Everything
I thought I would start writing an election series, since the topic keeps popping up more and more these days in my daily interactions with people.


One of the favourite things people like to talk to me about is how to win in the coming GE. It is quite amazing because it is unsolicited advice coming from people who has never stood for an election. Not that I had, but I don't think about winning, and that is when they get a little upset. An actual conversation that happened recently:

Uncle P: Daniel, I tell you how WP can win and deny the PAP two-third majority. The PAP will give out election goodies, hundreds and thousands of dollars of GST vouchers and rebates. This is why people vote them. You need to promise something even better. I know what you can promise. Promise to convert all 99-year lease for HDB flats to freehold.

Me: No lah. Cannot make such a promise. Impossible to fulfil even if elected and form government.

Uncle P: Just say during the rallies, win already then review.

Me: No no, cannot do that. WP is a responsible party, we cannot anyhow say things.

Uncle P: Then how are you going to win in the next GE? How are you going to win another few more GRCs? How are you going to be MP?

Me: I don't know, winning in the election is seldom on my mind. I just focus on the work to be done like helping the MPs serve residents, organise grassroots events and debate government policy in parliament. I also don't think Singaporeans are stupid. If we do our work well, people will know and decide who to vote.

Uncle P: So you are optimistic about winning?

Me: Mr P, I don't care about winning. I volunteer to do the work without thinking about winning. The irony is that if the opposition parties keep thinking about winning and do and say things so as to win, then we will not win. Singaporeans are smart, they can tell.
Uncle P: So how can you guarantee you will win? The opposition need to win …

Me: You are focused on winning. I think we have very different philosophies.​

And this is my philosophy. I didn't volunteer with WP during and after GE2011 and then join it in order to win elections. For me, politics is about helping the government of the day to better serve citizens through good policies and institutions, and about helping citizens shape the government we desire and deserve.


But don’t you want to win? A political party exists to win elections, right? Isn’t the aim of an opposition party to oppose and bring down the governing party to become the government? It is like football, which football team does not want to win and become the champion? These are questions that posed to me in somewhat upset or incredulous tones.


The analogy between politics and sports, especially football, is very tired. In football, unevenly matched teams compete against each other in a fixed arena obeying a fair set of rules maintained by independent referees to entertain spectators. Yes, some democratic systems approximate this and sadly it reduces the democratic process to a mere spectacle.


I do want WP to win elections, but winning is only part of a larger, longer process. Winning is not about bringing down the governing party. It is the beginning of a new phase, as it opens up more opportunities and space for changing the government’s mindset and helping the people shape the country we want. Winning is not the end goal.


A political party exists to represent and express the will of the people, and winning is part of the process of doing so. The more important work is on the ground, listening, talking, understanding, living with the people so that the party can better represent and express the will of the people.


I don’t see the PAP as an evil empire, but it has problems doing that work now—the talking and living are disjointed from the listening and understanding; they almost look down on the people. If WP becomes like that, and it is not immune, then it deserves to lose. Humility is a virtue in Singapore politics.


So winning isn’t everything. Politics is much more meaningful than that. It should be, or else it will be couched in purely cynical terms of success and failure, or in "mandates" by vote share percentage, like in a narrowly streamed education system where grades mean everything and give one a strong sense of entitlement.


There is creeping cynicism in our politics. The decades of self-interested “adaptation” of the democratic system allowed it to fester (and I’m glad the PM is slowly reversing it by reducing GRC size and increasing SMCs), and the polarising trolling online is not helping. So what can we do? Don’t be fixated on winning, live with the people.


Next: Election Fever II: Anyhow Call Elitism




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[sengkang]

[h=2]The Workers' Party Youth Wing (WPYW)[/h]
"If you had told me, 6-8 years ago, that I would be doing grassroots, concerned about my fellow Singaporeans, I'd have laughed in your face."
Read on to find out what made Terence devote his time and energies to the grassroots and WP eight years on.




People of WP – Terence Tan
People People of WP – Terence Tan daniel.goh January 18, 2015 No Comments “If you had told me, 6-8years ago, that I would be doing grassroots work, be concerned about my fellow Singaporeans, I’d have laughed in your face.” So...
wpyouth.sg

 

[sengkang]

[h=2]The Workers' Party[/h]Political Party






Today's Hammer Outreach takes us to Punggol East SMC, Hougang SMC, and Joo Chiat SMC. Thanks for allowing us to interrupt your delicious meals to support our Hammer Sales

 

[sengkang]

The Workers' Party shared Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)'s photo.




Thank you for getting off the bus to lend us your support.

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)

The support that we get during Hammer sales sometimes amazes and humbles me. The lady and her son spotted us along East Coast road while on the bus from central Singapore to Bedok. They got off the bus and came to us to buy a copy of the Hammer and to offer words of encouragement. They then got up another bus to continue on their journey. Thank you!

 

[sengkang]

[h=5][URL="https://www.facebook.com/wpyouth"]The Workers' Party Youth Wing (WPYW) updated their cover photo.
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[sengkang]

[h=2]The Workers' Party[/h]
Parliamentary Questions for 19 January 2015 Sitting
In the first Parliamentary Sitting of 2015, WP MPs raise questions on legislation or regulations to tackle errant retailers, retirement adequacy, household incomes and expenditure, rental flats, the Dependents' Protection Scheme, study of mother tongue languages, plans for Gardens by the Bay to be commercially self-sustaining, number of foreigners and permanent residents attending public schools, and repatriation of foreign workers.



QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER*


*23. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Government will consider legislation or regulations to give more teeth to Government agencies and management corporations of retail spaces to tackle errant retailers.


*25. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the availability of corporate retirement plans will be widened, given the low level of such plans in Singapore which contributes to Singapore's low score on retirement adequacy in the Mercer Melbourne Global Pension Index.


*26. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development since March 2012, how many families with a monthly household income of between $1,000 and $1,200 (inclusive) have (i) applied for and subsequently booked or (ii) been invited but failed to book 2-room or larger HDB BTO flats.


*27. Ms Lee Li Lian: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry can allow voluntary extension of the Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS) up to age 65.


*53. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Education over the past five years (a) what percentage of students have taken a non-official mother tongue language in lieu of their mother tongue language for the Primary School Leaving Examination; (b) how many of them are Singaporean students; and (c) what are the main reasons for granting such permission to Singaporean students.


*64. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development given that the Government grant to Gardens by the Bay increased from $23 million in the November 2011 to March 2013 period to $27 million in the April 2013 to March 2014 period, whether the Government plans for Gardens by the Bay to be commercially self-sustaining eventually and, if so, by when.


*71. Ms Lee Li Lian: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry intends to review the current income criteria to qualify for a subsidised rental flat; and (b) when was the last time a review on income requirement was conducted.


*72. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development whether families with a monthly household income of $1,500 or less who have booked a 2-room HDB BTO flat and are awaiting the construction of the flats are eligible to rent a flat under the Public Rental Scheme.


QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
7. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Department of Statistics can publish income and expenditure statistics by individuals in addition to by households so as to provide more precise measurements on poverty since individuals in a household may have different access to the household income.


28. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Education over the past five years, what is the average number of students exempted from taking mother tongue language at the Primary School Leaving Examination in the five schools with the highest number of such exemptions.


29. Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Education for each of the years from 2012 to 2014, what is the number and percentage of foreigners and permanent residents attending our public schools, broken down by primary school, secondary school, ITE, junior college and tertiary institution.


33. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower given a recent instance of a foreign worker being repatriated for a Dependency Ratio Ceiling violation whereby the ruling was subsequently reversed on appeal but the foreign worker was not able to return as a work permit holder, what provisions are in place to ensure processing of appeals prior to repatriation or to allow for the reversibility of rulings post-repatriation.

 

[sengkang]

The Workers' Party

"Madam Speaker, I support the Bill. I am concerned though about the rise in the number of pawnshops and in the total value of pawnbroking loans in recent years. The number of pawnshops has grown from 114 in 2008 to 217 as at June 2014. The value of pawnbroking loans rose more than three times from S$2 billion in 2009 to a peak of S$7.1 billion in 2012. Many of the pawnshops are in the HDB heartlands. In an earlier parliament reply, we are told that HDB does not generally limit the number of shops for each trade and leaves it to market forces to determine the trade mix of shops. Market forces have indeed led to the rise of the pawnbroking industry.


In our geographically small island state, with some 217 outlets, access to pawnshops for a quick loan is easy. This has prompted some journalists to cast the spotlight on our pawnbrokering industry which now has three publicly listed pawnbrokers as key players in the market. A Bloomberg report in June last year titled “Rolex for Casino Cash Fuels Singapore Pawnshop Growth” highlighted stories and statements by industry players about the rise in pawnbrokering activities being driven by gambling. The report, as well as other reports, also pointed to soaring living costs as another reason for Singaporeans to turn to easy credit sources such as pawnbrokers to cover their living expenses." - NCMP Yee Jenn Jong







Debate on Pawnbrokers Bill – NCMP Yee Jenn Jong
By Non-Constituency MP, Yee Jenn Jong [Delivered in Parliament on 19 Jan 2015] This Bill seeks to update the Pawnbrokers Act which was last amended in 1993.
wp.sg

 

[sengkang]

The Workers' Party

On the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill, Lee Li Lian （李丽连） seeks clarifications on how executive employees with limited representation can seek redress, what can be done to prevent contractual manipulation of employee rights, how many trade unions have applied to be accorded recognition by employers and how many have successfully done so.





Debate on Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill – MP Lee Li Lian
By MP for Punggol East SMC, Lee Li Lian [Delivered in Parliament on 19 January 2015] Thank you Sir. According to Singapore Workforce 2014 by MOM, the num
wp.sg

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]The Workers' Party

On the Foreign Employee Dormitory Bill, Pritam Singh calls for better foreign worker dormitory employment standards to ensure the health and safety of all foreign workers.
"If Singapore manages to scale up its standards of foreign employee accommodation, our businesses are likely to attract high quality workers and significantly lower the risk of another tragic and senseless fire in Geylang or potentially wanton violations of statutory regulations as evidenced by the secret dormitories in Tampines."





Debate on Foreign Employee Dormitory Bill – MP Pritam Singh
By MP for Aljunied GRC, Pritam Singh [Delivered in Parliament on 20 Jan 2015] Introduction Mdm Speaker, in between the fist and second reading of this
wp.sg











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[sengkang]

[h=5]Pritam Singh[/h]The Eunos team held its second Senior Appreciation Day today. Some months ago, I met Mr Lee sitting at the void deck of Blk 149 Bedok Reservoir Rd with a pair of crutches by his side, chatting with his friends. After finding out some brief details of his condition, I got in touch with AIC, but they understandably needed more information on his case to follow up. My Town Council Property Manager stepped in and helped out to secure the needful. AIC reverted to me to say that as Mr Lee was not a motorised wheelchair user, he would have to go thru a 4-month assessment and training period. Mr Lee shows up today, operating the wheelchair, to thank me for my very small role in securing the subsidised wheelchair. More importantly, there was a palpable sense of positivity about him which made my day! I am thankful to AIC and my Town Council team for the help in doing their part for our community of elders.

In addition, my volunteers and I would like to extend our appreciation to Rodiah Hashim and her team from the Diabetic Society of Singapore; and to Stanley Tan from The Hearing Solution for providing free screening for our elderly residents during the Senior Appreciation Day today. And thank you to the team behind http://www.mycaptainoats.com for sponsoring the healthy snack too!


Links:

AIC Senior Mobility and Enabling Fund - http://www.aic.sg/SMF/

Senior Appreciation Day pictures - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/…

 

[sengkang]

Pritam Singh

Just returned from visiting the unit affected by a fire at Block 662, Jalan Damai. Spoke to family members and was relieved to know that no one was injured. Until they are ready to move back in, the family will put up at their son's unit just a few blocks away. Pleasantly surprised and thankful to meet Mr Ramlan from the HDB Bedok Branch on site as well, close to midnight, attending to residents. Equally thankful to learn about good coordination on the ground between Mr Ramlan and AHPETC's Town Council Property Manager for Eunos, Wendy Tan. Neighbouring units are largely unaffected and I was grateful to be able to spend some time chatting with the affected unit's immediate neighbours. Electricity supply and normal services to the block are largely unaffected. Final word of thanks for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who were on site mopping up things up and cordoning off the ground floor in case charred debris dislodged from the windows of the affected unit. They will return tomorrow morning to ascertain the cause of the fire. str.sg/4wt

 

[sengkang]

[h=2]The Workers' Party Youth Wing (WPYW)[/h]Political Party






A good learning experience. Thank you to all who came and participated in the discussion.




Policy Education Workshop
Learning Policy Education Workshop daniel.goh January 21, 2015 No Comments There was an awkward silence in the room when Leon asked the crowd of nearly 40 people what they thought about retirement adequacy. Vernon took a tentative...
wpyouth.sg

 

[swissbank]

Workers Party’s Performance is disappointing!
Read this please !

If you read SDP website, you realize this party is moving the right direction except Dr Chee and friends must fight real hard to win trust and confidence and of course, winning votes to sit in the parliament.
People who are willing to give SDP a chance would certainly egg SDP on ---win next GE! Focus on the voters and the toi-let reality they are facing. Hope SDP could win a GRC next GE !

Let’s talk about WP.

What have these WP MPs and NCMPs done at the parliament and on the ground?
Do arguing on Dirty Hawker Center saga and organized event without approval see honor ? Do all these trivial issues benefit the voters? How could going to court prove anything to a common man in the streets ? If WP MPs visit Blk 520 Hougang Ave 6 , a broken lighted sign at the entrance (above the canal ) and the very dirty walls of low -rise flats and the unsightly bin centre (outside bin centre)behind Block 521, they would know that what is the priority running town council when comes to maintenance and cleanliness.

You know, winning votes is when you have a place in the parliament, you ask questions and then you propose and suggest opinions to the house good for the people and country. Whether the parliament accepts or sneers at your ideas is no more an issue, what matters is the voters who hear or read your ideas good for them that counts, you win votes during this process.

In short, you win votes before the GE; you lock votes during GE hustings. So don’t think that only at the GE rallies, you win votes because those crowds are your supporters. Those do not support you are not your audiences. You don’t wait till GE to win votes; WP MPs have to speak up for the people now and then before the GE if you want to help the Singaporeans period.

Real ground issues are many, we just talk a few . There is no defamation or personal issues link to them, just speak up for the people so your party can expand your territory. There is no need for clever conversation, just simple-man talk if you WP MPs are no good in policies making.

•Cost of living, people complain because when income is spent more on housing loans and other necessities, you left too little to find happiness. There are so many issues regarding this and yet WP MPs are not talking.

•CPF. This vehicle was good before it turns bad. WP MPs can suggest Govt tops up ordinary account every month for all citizens for retirement if PAP refuses to set up another retirement network because most Ordinary account monies are used to defrayed housing loans. There are so many things related to CPF. Why no wind and no sound?

•NS . Male Singaporeans serve the NS with very little salaries and do the reservist training for so many years. WP MPs can suggest that NS to be curtailed to 1.5 years and RT to 5 years. On top of these sickening issues, reduce number of days for RT because the employers are not happy. This bad NS practice drives bosses to hire foreign workers. And this is not fair to male Singaporeans . When you WP MPs speak up this NS issue, you win the young votes , most of them. Why are you not doing because male Singaporeans are suffering under this cruelty and slavery ? Help those who voted for you people into the parliament!

•Minister salaries—suggest an amount close to $50, 000 for PM and lesser for Ministers. This would mean Singapore could cut cost and life can be better for Singaporeans. For example—when crude oil price drops 50% , pump price should also drop , PUB bills should drop either! Another thing, you can suggest PM should elected by the people and do away the PE ! Don’t you WP MPs see what is coming at you when you speak from the heart ?Elected PM will work for the people but appointed Pm will work for himself ! First world country entails a first world salary for all citizens !

•Healthcare—those elderly above 80 should be given automatic free medishield coverage or free healthcare when they are hospitalized up to 3 months. There are simply too many to talk about .

•Transport ---MRT is like a steam locomotive on the rail track without traffic lights. You know from east to west merely 30 KM takes more than an hour , you laugh when you sit the rapid train somewhere else. But why the price to sit MRT is so high for young and old? May be WP MPs are all driving new cars ! Transport is part of living cost, we need some voices to bring it down.

•Temasek and GIC ---this is an intelligent subject but WP MPs need not go into details , You see, Singapore has no natural resources, money is everything in life in Singapore, without which , Singapore sinks and stinks ! Putting this two public investment arms under the Ministry of finance open a new phase would mean good for Singaporeans and the country. What belongs to people and country should return to the right place. Right ? Check and balance requires this simple courage . You only suggest and let the people decide, this time , you can really let the people decide .

•Defence budget ---12 billion per year is no small-man issue. Building a good defence is circumspect but if the budget is sky high, people suffer. Being pacifist and a smart nation can cut down this astronomical money THAT in turn benefitting the whole nation . Why WP MPs are not talking ?

The list is endless, certainly WP MPs cannot be carried away in the fairy-tale economy and hope for Durian votes every GE. If PAP MPs prefer to be yesmen, so be it .

Can you imagine the voters voted for PAP people to get high salaries and free healthcare , and live in opulent houses , did WP MPs tell the voters about this or you prefer to quarrel with PAP people on ants and rats eating up the leftover at hawker centers ? Who makes a Govt ? Silent is not all the time golden . MOST SINGAPOREANS LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTH, PAYCHECKS TO PAYCHECKS ! We ask ourselves , what is good when living cost is artificially shooting up like nobody business for the sake of those in the ivory tower .
Singapore is going to the dogs, and people need your relevant voice at the parliament.

You know, to many people, WP is like a hope FOR THEM TO SEE A BETTER , a LESS COSTLY and A HAPPIER LIFE.
Workers Party , please speak up, help Singaporeans and Singapore.

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]


Chen Jiaxi Bernard via Channel NewsAsia Singapore

[/h]Yesterday at 2:15pm · Edited ·

1. This proposed law will be passed.
2. The PAP MPs, many of whom are members of the Government Parliamentary Committees, in calling for flexibility totally misses the point. It is the law and the nature of it, not the manner in which it should be enforced. Why should there be such a piece of legislation in the first place?
3. Bill passed, public relations overdrive. This is the best compromise. See, still can drink. Not stopping anyone from drinking. See, still broad support (then why the public outcry), not a knee jerk reaction.
4. Local dialogue/ townhall sessions. Ministers and MPs flock to coffeeshop to assure uncles that they can still drink past 10.30pm. Look out for Facebook photos. Peace reigned.
5. There continues to be latent dissatisfaction on the ground. Jokes will be made at the expense of the government. Sarcasm at the grassroots detected. Grassroots leaders knows there is an issue.
6. Government: Singaporeans misunderstood us. We will do better in our communication.
7. Bill passed. Let's move on. Next issue.
8. PAP: out of touch? what out of touch? We are on the ground every week.






Proposed public boozing laws ‘unfair to most drinkers’
TODAY reports: The Bill, tabled on Monday, has drawn widespread objection, with many saying it would be an unfair penalty on the majority of drinkers who are responsible.
channelnewsasia.com

 

[sengkang]

[h=2]Daniel PS Goh[/h]With Li Lian at the first temple dinner of the year in Punggol East SMC, right smack in the thick of auction action. Taken by Yudhish without a selfie stick!

 

[swissbank]

from TR Emeritius

Sek Keong:
January 24, 2015 at 7:47 pm (Quote)

WP does not suit Gerald’s capabilities.
Gerald can only shine with a party that is more gungho.
What a waste of his life serving WP whose party whip is as long as LTK’s you-know-what.
I assess that Gerald best suits SFP not WP

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠) updated his cover photo.
[/h]January 19 at 9:29am ·