Cos the "seeds" would have deteriorated by then? Yet this shows how out of touch Ass Loon and his running dog ministers are with the ground!
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Dating woes, ERP concerns get airing on lively webchat
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sue-Ann Chia & Zakir Hussain
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->HIS bid to join the state-run matchmaking agency Social Development Service (SDS) was rejected. The reason: He was older than the 35-year-old age limit.
Last night, the 39-year-old netizen named Ronald shared his dating woes during a webchat organised by Reach, the Government's feedback arm, to get views on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech.
Ronald urged the SDS and Social Development Unit to drop the age limit as older singles also need help.
He got a quick and sympathetic response from Reach supervisory panel vice-chairman Mohamad Maliki Osman: The suggestion will be looked at.
Dr Maliki, who is Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, said later that a goal of both agencies is to get people to marry early and have children.
But this does not mean older singles 'have no hope', adding that there was merit to Ronald's suggestion.
Not one to pass up on an opportunity, Ronald raised a few chuckles when he joined in a discussion on the social graces of Singaporeans.
A participant with the user name 'Sunshine' complained that few men held doors open for her. Ronald responded that he would be glad to do so.
One Reach staff member said that if both met after last night, Mr Lee would have a good example to cite next year.
The 90-minute chat, which had 32 participants at its peak, saw a lively discussion on issues from Sunday's Rally.
The package of procreation policies piqued attention - including for what it did not contain. Some argued that if fathers were to be encouraged to take on a greater role, provisions for paternity leave would have sent a strong signal.
There were also calls for benefits for stay-at-home and unwed single mums, the promotion of adoption and measures to reduce abortion numbers.
Transport issues also surfaced, with some netizens still unconvinced about the need for more Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries and higher ERP rates.
Reach chairman Amy Khor said the
webchat was a good way to engage Singaporeans and give them a chance to get responses 'on the spot' .
'The discussion was quite positive, but the pet peeve is still the absence of paternity leave,' she noted.
Added Senior Minister of State (Finance and Transport) Lim Hwee Hua: 'The lack of paternity leave does not mean it is not important.'
The Government decided to extend maternity leave first, she explained.
The one issue that was ironically missing - easing rules on new media - surprised Dr Khor, who said it showed Singaporeans were more concerned about bread-and-butter issues.
At a separate event, more than 100 Malay-Muslim community leaders discussed issues that included a plan under which community funds would go towards refurbishing mosques.
General clerk Hamim Hassan, 61, was concerned about the possible misuse of funds, while Ms Maria Abdul Hamid, 40, who is self-employed, asked if contribution rates would go up further.
On Tuesday, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim detailed the higher contributions that Muslim workers would make to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund next year.
These funds will also be used to upgrade old mosques and improve standards of religious education.
'Rates will not increase in the foreseeable future,' he said last night.
'We will be transparent about how the money is used and allocated,' he said, adding that there would be stringent checks when requests were made. Other issues raised at the dialogue included concerns about inflation and job discrimination.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Dating woes, ERP concerns get airing on lively webchat
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sue-Ann Chia & Zakir Hussain
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->HIS bid to join the state-run matchmaking agency Social Development Service (SDS) was rejected. The reason: He was older than the 35-year-old age limit.
Last night, the 39-year-old netizen named Ronald shared his dating woes during a webchat organised by Reach, the Government's feedback arm, to get views on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech.
Ronald urged the SDS and Social Development Unit to drop the age limit as older singles also need help.
He got a quick and sympathetic response from Reach supervisory panel vice-chairman Mohamad Maliki Osman: The suggestion will be looked at.
Dr Maliki, who is Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, said later that a goal of both agencies is to get people to marry early and have children.
But this does not mean older singles 'have no hope', adding that there was merit to Ronald's suggestion.
Not one to pass up on an opportunity, Ronald raised a few chuckles when he joined in a discussion on the social graces of Singaporeans.
A participant with the user name 'Sunshine' complained that few men held doors open for her. Ronald responded that he would be glad to do so.
One Reach staff member said that if both met after last night, Mr Lee would have a good example to cite next year.
The 90-minute chat, which had 32 participants at its peak, saw a lively discussion on issues from Sunday's Rally.
The package of procreation policies piqued attention - including for what it did not contain. Some argued that if fathers were to be encouraged to take on a greater role, provisions for paternity leave would have sent a strong signal.
There were also calls for benefits for stay-at-home and unwed single mums, the promotion of adoption and measures to reduce abortion numbers.
Transport issues also surfaced, with some netizens still unconvinced about the need for more Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries and higher ERP rates.
Reach chairman Amy Khor said the
webchat was a good way to engage Singaporeans and give them a chance to get responses 'on the spot' .
'The discussion was quite positive, but the pet peeve is still the absence of paternity leave,' she noted.
Added Senior Minister of State (Finance and Transport) Lim Hwee Hua: 'The lack of paternity leave does not mean it is not important.'
The Government decided to extend maternity leave first, she explained.
The one issue that was ironically missing - easing rules on new media - surprised Dr Khor, who said it showed Singaporeans were more concerned about bread-and-butter issues.
At a separate event, more than 100 Malay-Muslim community leaders discussed issues that included a plan under which community funds would go towards refurbishing mosques.
General clerk Hamim Hassan, 61, was concerned about the possible misuse of funds, while Ms Maria Abdul Hamid, 40, who is self-employed, asked if contribution rates would go up further.
On Tuesday, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim detailed the higher contributions that Muslim workers would make to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund next year.
These funds will also be used to upgrade old mosques and improve standards of religious education.
'Rates will not increase in the foreseeable future,' he said last night.
'We will be transparent about how the money is used and allocated,' he said, adding that there would be stringent checks when requests were made. Other issues raised at the dialogue included concerns about inflation and job discrimination.
:o 
