Chitchat Why Jamus Lim join Workers' Party ?

[jw5]

Jamus spotted a giant monitor lizard.

Jamus Lim​

5 d ·
‘Twas a muggy evening, and hazy conditions kept us from too long a run (we kept it to just 3km, in light of the relatively high PSI), but neither were enough to dampen the spirits of those who joined us this evening for our #SengkangGRC #RiverRun. Thanks to all who came out!
Bonus: in addition to the usual chickens and roosters, we caught glimpse of a giant monitor lizard.

 

[jw5]

Jamus found butterflied fish.

Jamus Lim​

4 d ·
It’s not often that you find butterflied fish at the supermarket, so when I stumbled across some frozen ones, I had to grab a few and bring them home to try. The most common preparation here is to deep fry the thing, and top with a sweetish ginger-scallion sauce.
I wanted to try something different, and so we defrosted the fish beforehand, and went instead with a marinade of red-green sauces, one side spicy, the other mild. The style was made famous by a Mexican restaurant, Contramar. The recipe actually calls for these to be grilled—which I think will sear the sauces into the fish, while adding a nice hint of smokiness—but since we don’t have a grill, we went instead with roasting it, which was less liable to dry out the fish, given that it had been frozen.
What I like most about this dish is how easy it is to prepare: you blend the respective sauces, then dress the raw fish, before leaving the heat to do the rest. And the result is often a dramatic and hauntingly beautiful presentation. We enjoyed with some rounds of tortillas, but skipped the refried beans, which are kinda unhealthy (albeit uber-delicious).

 

[jw5]

Jamus is concerned about the gender pay gap.

Jamus Lim​

3 d ·
This past Monday, Harvard economist Claudia Goldin was awarded the (so-called) Nobel Prize in Economics. She won for, among other things, her work on womenomics—the role gender plays in shaping economic outcomes. Goldin enjoys a ton of respect within the profession. This is not only because of the content of her work, which is undeniably important. It is also because she “thinks like an economist.” This is the trait where economists are guided by data and logic, and (as a result) are willing to take counterintuitive positions or draw controversial conclusions that others might find unusual (at best) or repugnant (at worst).
One of these uncommon insights that Goldin uncovered has to do with the gender pay gap. Most of us are aware that there is a gap; in Singapore, it was about 13 percent in 2018. See: https://stats.mom.gov.sg/.../mrsd-Singapores-Adjusted.... But the work of Goldin (and others like her) explains why this isn’t as high as it seems on its face. Women tend to choose different jobs from men, and often accumulate less experience than men. Accounting for these differences helps close the gap (to 4 percent in 2020).
But we shouldn’t just call it a day, and allow our conclusions to stop there. Goldin peered deeper into why women make these different choices. It is here that her work offers the most valuable suggestions for policymakers. One is that women often start off on the same foot, only to fall behind because they take more time off the workforce when they have kids. Now, within the household, such a choice could be entirely rational (say, if the guy is the one pulling a higher salary). But it need not be so. While we want the woman to have adequate time for postpartum rest and recovery, it makes sense to allow couples to trade the remaining paid pregnancy leave among themselves. Even better, we should catch up with the rest of the developed world and mandate 24 weeks of paid pregnancy leave, with a minimum of half to be taken by mum, a sixth by dad, and the remainder to be split between them. The #workersparty has made this case in Parliament.
We can also ask ourselves why it is that jobs that feature more women—in education and healthcare—tend to pay less (than other professions with comparable years of training), especially for those performing frontline functions. At some level, this is puzzling. We claim to care a lot about the education and health of our loved ones, but pay woefully little to those who are leading the charge in teaching and caring for our kids and elderly parents.
Part of this is just the logic of the labor market, of course; salaries are heavily driven by supply (and there are enough willing to work at prevailing low wages). But we do ourselves a disservice if we think that’s the end of the story. After all, many teachers and nurses have little bargaining power, which erodes how much they get. While they are compensated fairly relative to international benchmarks, these salaries don’t stand up well to our immensely high cost of living. Nor do the salaries seem as attractive given the typically large class sizes our teachers have to manage, or the long working hours our nurses have to endure. Small wonder that we’re having difficulties hiring and retaining both.
Anyhoo, I’m gratified that Goldin has led the way in helping us understand the economics of gender in labor markets, while also blazing the way for women, both in economics, as well as the workplace overall.

 

[jw5]

Jamus continues house visits.

Jamus Lim​

8 October at 06:59 ·
This past week, owing to many longer conversations, #TeamSengkang was only able to wrap up two-thirds of 302C #Anchorvale. But in keeping with theme, we stayed with the sand cluster, and hit the 303 coffeeshop over the weekend.
One resident shared his concerns about how he felt that migrant professionals appeared to be crowding out local ones. This, he shared, was evident in ICT, but also in other high-skill areas, such as engineering (which was his background). Like many Singaporeans, he explained that he didn’t begrudge migrant workers in sectors—such as conservancy, construction, or nursing—where there was a short supply of locals. But he found it unfair that Singaporeans like himself were relegated to jobs such as driving, despite possessing a professional qualification.
I shared with him how there have been some recent tweaks by the government to manage the inflow of foreign professionals, by way of insisting that firms demonstrate diversity in their hiring. But I also noted that any enduring solution will need to do better at pipeline issues: basically, ensuring that enough Singaporeans are able to train and acquire qualifications in sectors that had manpower needs.
This is especially the case for high-skill sectors, where I believe we needlessly shoot ourselves in the foot by making qualification criteria excessively stringent, only to then be faced with a talent shortfall. This, in turn, necessitates hiring from abroad, including those who may possess certifications from institutions that may not be as good as our own. Why not expand the intake—even if it means taking on students that may seem somewhat weaker, but only by dint of our insanely high academic standards—instead if lamenting a local skills shortage? This strikes me as a better solution, and need to result in any reduction in quality, so long as we select potential students on the basis of absolute (rather than relative) performance, and train them well. #SengkangGRC

 

[jw5]

Jamus poses with a family outside their flat.

 

[jw5]

Jamus Lim​

23 h ·

The Workers' Party​

1 d ·
:
The Workers’ Party (WP) Members of Parliament have received many emails and representations from Singaporeans calling for an immediate end to hostilities and the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Previous military action in the Gaza Strip undertaken by the Israel Defence Forces in response to militant operations including by Hamas have been marked by overwhelming disproportionality.[1] We fear this reality will repeat itself in the coming days, weeks and months.[2]
The flagrant disregard of the Geneva Convention, the United Nations (UN) Charter and other international legal instruments; including the occupation of land taken in war by any sovereign nation - is not in Singapore’s national interests.

The killing of non-combatants, women and children by any country or organisation, in the name of war, deserves no less than absolute condemnation.
The WP supports Singapore’s long-held position that a two-state solution consistent with UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions is the only viable path to a durable, just and comprehensive resolution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine.[3]
In particular, UNSC Resolution 242 which is supported by Singapore, calls for the withdrawal of Israel from Palestinian territories occupied since the 1967 war in exchange for a lasting peace with its neighbours.[4]
Worryingly, the continuing conflict in Israel and Palestine is likely to increase attacks against Jews and Muslims elsewhere, raising the prospect of radicalisation far beyond the Middle-East, making the world more unsafe and dangerous for all countries, particularly where multi-racial and multi-cultural communities live in peace
and harmony. All Singaporeans should be aware and mindful of this possibility, and play an active part to prevent it from happening on our shores.
We call on Israel to reject the collective punishment of innocent civilians, cease all military operations in the Gaza Strip and to allow for the transit of humanitarian aid into Gaza forthwith. At the same time, we call for the immediate return of all Israeli hostages captured in Hamas’ military operation in Southern Israel on 7 Oct 2023. De-escalation by all parties must be followed by a withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories, followed by serious negotiations to achieve a lasting peace in the Holy Land; a peace that legitimises the existence of the state of Israel, and establishes a viable Palestinian state.[5]

The Workers’ Party
Footnotes:
[1] UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties
[2] Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Press Briefing Notes: https://www.ohchr.org/.../latest-occupied-palestinian...
[3] SM Teo: Negotiated Two-State Solution the only viable option: https://www.straitstimes.com/.../negotiated-two-state...
[4]UN Security Council Resolution 242: https://peacemaker.un.org/.../files/SCRes242%281967%29.pdf
[5] See former US Secretary State 2016 speech on Israeli Settlements and Two-State Solution: https://www.haaretz.com/.../0000017f-f6f1-d47e-a37f...

 

[jw5]

Jamus was honored last week to attend Zhun Ti Tang’s Nine Emperor Gods’ Ceremony, held at #Rivervale.

Jamus Lim​

10 h ·
The recent conflict in Israel and Palestine is, for me, a stark reminder of the fragility of peaceful social and religious relationships, and how we should strive to keep politics separate from these as much as possible. I do not take the socioreligious harmony we have here for granted, so when I can, I try to do my very small part by participating in various religious festivals and celebrations.
So I was honored last week to attend Zhun Ti Tang’s Nine Emperor Gods’ Ceremony, held at #Rivervale, in lieu of my colleague Chua Kheng Wee 蔡庆威 (who was traveling). The proceedings lasted a good few hours, during which I learned about the origins of the various practices, including the lighting of nine lamps (one for each deity), the invitation to visit from the water, and the prop that accompanies the sedan procession.
I am neither Taoist nor Buddhist, the two groups that (in Singapore) celebrate the festival. Nevertheless, I believe that the respect we confer on others’ exercise of their faith—especially when they take the effort to invite you to partake in something so special to them—is more important than the need to strictly adhere to one’s own religious norms. It is for this reason that, when I visit a wake, I am willing to light incense; I believe, after all, that I am honoring those not only those that have passed, but also those who remain and are in mourning.
My thanks to the organizers for the invitation, and I wish them and all devotees a meaningful period of prayer and reflection for the remainder of the festival.

 

[jw5]

Jamus was delighted to be able join an event organized by the ASEAN Business Youth Association.

Jamus Lim​

3 d ·
My very first full-on teaching gig, taken on in grad school, was an upper-division undergraduate course on environmental economics (and funnily enough, my first teaching assistant role was also a lower-level political economy of the environment course). While I never did end up specializing in the area, the field’s basic principles and theories have stayed with me.
Which is apt, since issues to do with the environment have become increasingly important to public policy, and the world at large. For many young students, the topic is also one of the defining ones of their generation, to the point where my school has even made environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters one of its strategic pillars.
So I’m delighted to be able join an event organized by the ASEAN Business Youth Association this weekend, which will feature Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Dato Hajjah Hanifah Hajar Taib, where we hope to discuss the ESG agenda for ASEAN. The dialog is virtual, and signup information is on the poster.

 

[jw5]

Jamus poses with a family inside their flat.

 

[jw5]

Jamus poses with a family at their doorway.

 

[jw5]

Jamus tries to persuade a resident to talk to him.

 

[jw5]

Jamus has been thinking about AI.

Jamus Lim​

1 d ·
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the future of AI in recent months, and had the occasion to share some of these thoughts in response to a bill about the National Productivity Fund (NPF) a few months back. First, some context: the NPF is not new (it was set up in 2010), and is but the latest in a long string of attempts by the government to raise Singaporean productivity (these include bodies like the National Productivity Board, the Productivity and Standards Board, SPRING, and EnterpriseSG). By and large, these efforts have had limited success. Total factor productivity—the broadest measure of efficiency and technological progress—has hovered in the low-single digits for much of our nation’s economic history, even (and especially) during our high-growth decades.
So, in principle, upping financial support to boost productivity is a laudable goal. But as the disappointing track record suggests, it simply isn’t enough to open the cash spigots and hope that productivity will magically appear (no matter how generous that spigot may be). One thing that bothered me about the Bill in particular was that it appeared to use relatively expansive language (basically, using the term “promotion of [not just] investment [but] economic activities”), which opens the door for non-productivity-enhancing spending. After all, some recent work by industry economists suggests that Taylor Swift concerts generate an economically-measurable impact. Would TayTay concerts then qualify for the NPF? Would F1 or Great Singapore Sale advertising? (Thankfully, the Ministry clarified that this was not the case, which is important to get on record. I still feel that the language could be better refined, but then again, I’m not a lawyer).
But more importantly, the dough should be (in my view) directed toward expenditures to boost productivity by encouraging development and adoption of the latest general purpose technology: artificial intelligence (AI) and the robotics revolution. AI and robotics are general purpose technologies in the sense that it can be applied to a great many areas, from advanced manufacturing to after-sales support to customer customization to knowledge work (and many more we haven’t yet conceived). Much like electricity, steam power, computers, and the Internet, we are only scraping the full potential of the technology, and AI’s effects are likely to diffuse into all areas of the economy over the next few decades.
Given how pervasive its effects are likely to be, it’s hard to imagine what won’t be affected by AI and robotics. The fear now is that, during the transition, a large number of jobs may become displaced or, at best, significantly altered. This could turn out very badly, if not well managed. Most general purpose revolutions have affected the lower end of the skills distribution, allowing older workers to retrain and upskill, and for younger ones to develop their human capital for the needs of the future. But given the speed of AI advances—Twitter took 2 years, Facebook a little less than a year, and Instagram 2.5 months to get to a million users, but ChatGPT took all of 5 days—we don’t yet know what sort of jobs and skills we need for the future AI-driven economy.
This leaves significant economic insecurity, led by fears of redundancy and income loss. We should keep our heads up and trust that new functions will eventually emerge (as it always has in the past in response to new general purpose technologies), but a safety net is also needed now. This safety net should include a comprehensive redundancy-retraining-redeployment pipeline for our workers, including a promise of reemployment for at least a probationary period, conditional on acquiring skills needed in the new position (with interim financial support during training).
Companies will also have to adapt. Of course, they typically have the incentives to do so, to remain competitive. But make no mistake: some firms that do so better than others will thrive, while those who don’t will be left behind, and subject to failure or takeover. So it comes down to speedy and successful adoption and deployment, if Singapore is to reap the benefits of the AI-robotics revolution. This is where our local companies have lagged behind; in applied research—the “D”evelopment part of R&D.
Governments can only do so much, but pushing our A*STAR entities to foster stronger pipelines with industry (or to be able to more easily spin off development and commercialization bodies) can help raise the currently below-par levels of private R&D. But R&D credits—offered by the government, and directed specifically toward the adaptation, adoption, and/or scaling-up of AI-robotics tech by firms based here—can also usher the process along. Importantly, officers in government funding bodies like the NRF and EnterpriseSG should be freed from excessive focus on meeting short-term KPIs, but instead adopt a more venture mindset, where (big) payoffs may only be realized after sufficient runway into the future.
Analogously, research and training opportunities should be provided for our workers, both those in technical fields, as well as those who aren’t. The natural channel now is SkillsFuture, which lists some 887 AI-related courses: https://bit.Iy/3SbkdEG. We do not yet know the full scope of how AI will change the way we live, work, and play. But we know that it will, and the imperative is on us, as a nation, to embrace the promise and potential that this general purpose technology offers. #makingyourvotecount

 

[jw5]

Jamus speaks to an uncle in a kopitiam.

 

[jw5]

Jamus heard from the impressive list of speakers.

Jamus Lim​

10 h ·
Last Friday, I had the pleasure to spend that day at the #SheLovesTech global conference, a global and women-centric tech event that rolls together panel discussions, product demos, workshops, student outreach (appropriately rendered #GirlsLoveTech), and a startup pitch competition (the world’s largest for women/tech, now featuring more than 70 countries).
In addition to hearing from the impressive list of speakers—where I got to learn about the latest developments in AI and the venture space—I also particularly enjoyed a lunchtime session on “Women Leading Family Offices” (not very techy, I know, but an economist finds it hard to change his spots). I believe that the often-distinct ways that women approach investments—often with an eye to reducing volatility rather than chasing risk, as well as a greater eye toward social or societal good—is an important counterbalance that can help drive sustainable portfolios, both in the financial and environmental sense of the word. And it was fascinating to hear from the 2nd or 3rd-generation scions that these were precisely the sort of active investment decisions they considered as they led of their family offices.
Congratulations are also in order to the folks at Aprisium, a startup that specializes in contaminant monitoring and detection. In my view, the team was certainly deserving of the win—the first time a local finalist took the top spot—given the enormously broad applicability of the technology across a wide range of domains.
Great work by Sharon Lim and her team for putting up an amazing conference, and thanks for the invitation to experience women at their best in an often male-dominated field.

 

[jw5]

Jamus speaks up for bereaved parents.

Jamus Lim​

12 h ·
As a national party, most of the causes that the #workersparty advances in Parliament are—by design—those that matter to a broad cross-section of Singaporean society. But every now and then, we also carefully consider raising issues that are narrower in scope, but are nevertheless important, because they are consistent with the beliefs that we hold, and because doing so is the right thing to do.
It was for this reason that, after Mandy reached out to make the case for the issuance of birth certificates for stillborn babies, I was more than willing to facilitate her cause (albeit in a very small way). I filed a couple of Parliamentary Questions to flag the issue, and the Ministry provided a way forward, as long as there was demonstrable demand. Through her advocacy, Mandy essentially did the rest; she gathered thousands of signatures to show that, indeed, grieving parents wanted this to happen.
I was really heartened to learn, recently, that Immigration & Checkpoints Authority had finally decided to issue commemorative birth certificates for stillborn babies, as well as inform bereaved parents that they may do so (this is important, because not everyone in mourning thinks about these things, even if it’ll help them with closure). It is a small administrative step, but one that is enormously meaningful to those that grieve.
Postscript: Sometimes, we see numbers like, “only one or two people have requested something,” and we think that is prima facie evidence that there isn’t any demand. While that could be true, it’s also a convenient way to dismiss genuine sentiment that just hasn’t surfaced because there hasn’t been anyone to champion those causes. So if that’s you and something you care about, do consider stepping up and being the change that you wish to see.


CHANNELNEWSASIA.COM
'To us, it matters': A couple's fight for their stillborn twins to be officially named in Singapore
All Ms Mandy Too and Mr Aidan Hoy wanted was a document acknowledging their stillborn twins' names. They tell CNA about their two-year journey to get Abigail and Lara officially named.

 

[jw5]

Jamus joined residents on Saturday evening for their mini-party.

Jamus Lim​

16 h ·
Although Halloween traditionally falls on the final day of October, the greater convenience of doing so over non-school days meant that many folks chose to celebrate it over the weekend. This was also the case in #Anchorvale, when I joined residents on Saturday evening for their mini-party.
As it was last year when we headed out to #Compassvale, I brought our daughter along for the festivities. She’s a year older now, and better able to appreciate the tradition (after being suitably wound up in the run-up by YouTube videos and promises of a princess outfit). But the candy never gets old, and she definitely reveled in both the process (trick-or-treating), as well as the outcome (stuffing her face with candies).
Thanks to the organizing committee for their invitation, and to all families that sportingly opened up their homes to the kids doing their rounds! It’s such a special time for kids, and their excitement over the festival is absolutely infectious.

 

[jw5]

Jamus was absolutely delighted to see many families with their kids.

Jamus Lim​

1 d ·
Parents know that good habits don’t come for free; they have to be carefully nurtured and cultivated. Kids observe what their parents do, and model themselves after them. So when we, as parents, demonstrate good behavior—such as getting actively keeping our environment clean—our kids will, in turn, eventually learn to do the same.
At the same time, I find it critical that we continue to diligently pass on such practices to the next generation—as well as new citizen families (for which we had a number join)—which is truly what is needed if we are to sustain the values and spirit that bind us together as a nation.
So this past weekend, I was absolutely delighted to see many families with their kids for our quarterly #SengkangGRC #CleanSG exercise. This round, we held it at two locations—#Rivervale Place and #Anchorvale Cove—but residents joined us from across the estate (we even had a visitor-friend from Bedok!). I hope it was a meaningful experience for those that took the time to join us. We had quite a haul—almost 47 kilos of trash at the Anchorvale location—due to the enthusiastic efforts of our participants. Hopefully we’ll have many others join us next quarter!

 

[jw5]

Jamus tries to speak a to man while a woman is too busy with her mobile phone.

 

[jw5]

Jamus goes running.

Jamus Lim​

10 h ·
It’s the first Saturday of the month, which means that we’re once again headed out for our usual #SengkangGRC #RiverRun. My better half is traveling for a friend’s birthday, which means that I’m on babysitting watch. So I’ll be hauling the jogging stroller (and its fancy occupant) along to join us this evening. Hope to see many of you there!

 

[jw5]

Jamus disturbs a lady having her lunch.