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November 06 Businesses here turn blind eye to energy conservationThe Straits Times
6 November 2009, Online Forum
SINGAPORE is a paradox when it comes to temperatures. My foreign friends never fail to remark how we are 'summer outside, winter inside'. This overuse of air-conditioning indoors continues despite efforts by the authorities to advise on suitable temperatures for air-conditioning. Our need for temperature balance is indeed unique. In fact, extensive air-conditioning, which once reflected a sophisticated office culture, is now widespread. We carelessly leave doors to air-conditioned spaces open, at the expense of the building management. We design shops without effective mechanisms to reduce the amount of cold air escaping. It is ironic to see kitchens in shopping malls enjoying air-conditioning, while turning up the heat to cook. The worst example was a branded convenience shop chain in the heartland designed with its freezer right next to its open doors. While we try to persuade individuals to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption, businesses have been left to waste energy and pass on higher costs to their customers. Their enormous consumption of electricity puts stress on the infrastructure and resources used to generate electricity. This translates to higher power bills for households too. I hope the Building and Construction Authority will work on guidelines to ensure that businesses conserve energy in the aftermath of the economic downturn. Ong Lip Hua July 16 RCs, not CCs, hold the keyThe Straits Times
Thursday, 16 July 2009, Forum
I APPLAUD Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and People's Association (PA) deputy chairman Lim Boon Heng for urging the PA to do more to help forge a common identity among Singaporeans ('PA's task ahead: To bridge society's gaps', Monday). Singapore has changed dramatically in the 40 years since the PA was set up to serve as a catalyst in engaging Singaporeans. The emphasis today is on a self-possessed drive to develop and excel - from finding a good preschool programme and competing for enrolment into preferred primary schools to competing even harder for jobs. This intensity to achieve and excel has severely reduced Singaporeans' time for meaningful interaction with fellow citizens. The PA's community centres (CCs) and clubs, which used to be oases of relaxation and congregation, are now as caught up in the same, intense drive to adapt to swift-morphing technologies and lifestyle preferences. To keep itself relevant to its neighbourhood, distance is equally important now because of time constraints. So the PA should, perhaps, relook the role of residents' committees (RCs) in encouraging engagement and congregation within a community. The HDB building strategy involves constructing blocks of flats clustered close together. So, it may be more practical and convenient to build more and larger RCs where they are usually located - at the void decks of HDB flats - offering the full range of facilities that CCs have, which residents can access easily. Such a new and more complete infrastructure will allow grassroots leaders and residents more opportunities to interact. The RCs will be cheaper to maintain as they will still be smaller than the CCs, quicker and more flexible in responding to residents' needs and, hence, attract and retain more active members. Residents will also feel less alienated should election boundaries be redrawn. And it will feel less strange and unfamiliar for a resident to walk over or just ride down in a lift to his RC than to the CC, which may be located - and belong - to a different constituency. Improving, increasing and enlarging RCs may diminish the role of CCs, or ultimately render them obsolete, but the price may be worth paying if it keeps the PA thriving and relevant. Ong Lip Hua June 05 Clinics can link up to offer 24-hour helpTHE STRAITS TIMES
3 APRIL 2009 FORUM
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_357963.html
I APPLAUD Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan's moves in recent years to reduce the stress on our health-care system. The initiatives have included publishing the rates of procedures, reducing waiting time at polyclinics and, more recently, increasing hospital bed space and increasing opportunities for medical training.
Given that the nation seeks to boost its population and is actively pursuing medical tourism - and considering the higher stress facing our population from the ever-increasing cost of living - our health-care delivery systems need a relook. Instead of centralised systems, which lead to longer waiting times and increased costs at public hospitals, we could encourage neighbourhood clinics to team up to form 24-hour operations with larger capacities.
This should take some stress away from accident and emergency departments.
Subsidies can also be provided for clinics teaming up to form local hospitals with bed space.
Hospitalisation nearer homes helps ease traffic congestion while the shortened travel distances will encourage family visitations, which should help patients recover.
The Ministry of Health can learn new ways of operations from private practices and, in so doing, improve the systems used by public health-care providers.
Larger private practices will also have more bargaining power over rental clauses to pass the cost savings back to patients. However, we will need many more doctors to support the population's needs. I support increasing medical training facilities and posts to ensure that while Singapore grows, we will not be penalised by a lack of medical support.
Ong Lip Hua February 10 Impossible GlobalisationThe world is turning protectionistic. Suddenly, it was an awakening. Strangely, though it has been in the writing for a long time. It was most painfully written in Obama's election promises. And the world was cheering him on. It was right in our face when corporate America gave the executive more than what he deserved. Now we blame them for our bad parenting. It was brightly lit when the world dissed China for her tough one-child policy. Now we have too many people and too little work. Now we are all suddenly upset that America wants to save itself, close its doors for some redefining, reduce its borrowings and slim down after years of obesity. Because we have been feeding this obese obsession. Because we have been lending them money to pay for our work. Because we have been rushing into this blackhole of consumption, the sudden overwhelming surge of magnetic forces in this overweight center causing the blackhole to finally break up and sprew everyone out, is too disorientating. We can no longer believe in hegemony. Regionisation is a bad word. Autonomy to re-organise our production, consumption patterns prove too much to percieve and accept. Protectionist America is good. It is the finale to herald in "change" where the world produces not for one center, but the real hegemony of needs. Where globalisation goes into first phase, where demand and supply is balanced. It has been bewildering that we have been vocalising globalisation based on a singular consumer, multipule supplier model. Even when we add China and India, a total of more than 2 billion population into the supplier side economics. Strangely, no world reknown economists has noticed such a huge statistic, a major tsunami among the ripples of empricial data. Globalisation requires an almost equal amount of consumers as suppliers. Or at least not just one or an extreme small number of consumers with an disproportionately high number of suppliers. The closing up of the American market will enforce all other countries to develop their own domestic market, or seek a co-operative regional market. This can only mean well for globalisation. Success of globalisation requires consumers, as well as suppliers. Only with regional consumption centers in every part of the world, can there be business for suppliers. Not the cheap labour and ever lower costs which do not generate consumer markets. These benefit only the corporates, who now face their own undoing of depending on only an almost singular consumer market. Let there be "Buy American" and "Hire American". The world needs to wake up to real costs, real wages and sustainable consumption. December 03 The currency of Asia's riseAmerican reports suggests that America's influence will wane. Asian leaders concur that Asia will rise to occupy a fair amount of vacated American influence. China and India are keenly watched as the next movers.
I am not as optimistic.
As an economics trained person, I see the world divided into 2 halves. The consumers and the producers. The fine division between both, is the value of currencies. Dollars and cents.
America, Western Europe are the main consumers. Their currencies are strong compared to Asian ones, who are suppliers. Arabs are also suppliers with a weaker currency.
The consumers will always dictate and influence world policies. They have the buying power. And they can afford to work less, produce less tangible goods and think of more value-add services to earn.
The suppliers will always be at the mercy of consumers. They produce most of the tangible items, compete amongst themselves to sell ever cheaper and produce as more efficiently to pander to the demands and new standards of the consumers.
Asians are not used to the idea of working less. In fact, working hard is a much touted virtue. Working smart, is very much unheard of. And with a larger population to take care of, a strong currency policy is hard to follow. There are no empirical data and case studies for strong currency policies for countries managing populations of 1 billion.
Until Asia understand the fundamentals of a strong currency, and finds value in people, massively, Asia will stay as suppliers. Asia will compete with Asia to produce and sell their hard work to America and Europe.
Until Asia is able to deal with and implement strong currencies, Asia, will not rise. October 03 Bailout: Impacts on AsiaUS Bailout: Impacts on Asia
The world's financial systems are holding their breath on the outcome of the vote for the great US bailout. Stock markets across the world are trading on the "Ayes" and "Nays" of the USA government.
The bailout, it seems, limited only to stocks and shares when discussed outside of USA. While the USA battle is marked by the common American (main street) against the Wall street.
The bailout consisted mainly of printing money, or increasing money supply (USD) to cushion the credit crunch. The USA government will use this "new" money to buy over the bad loans from the banks so they have funds to continue with business, instead of massive writedowns, and eventual closure.
The main street is angry for having to pay for the Wall street's expensive failures, and apprehensive about a massive inflation caused by the extra cash. It may also potentially drop the value of the USD, causing lower Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) for the main street.
The credit crunch does not seem to be much of the world's concern, other than inter-bank holdings and contract businesses. A slow USA economy also means a slow world economy, as USA is the main consumer of the world's produce.
However, most of us have been distracted from the fact that being the world's largest consumer, it means almost everything, especially oil, is priced exclusively in USD. A low USD means a fall in real value of the contracts signed in USD. This will cause many forward prices to jump accordingly, even without an increase in consumption.
A spike in oil price looks to be in the making. First, to reflect the drop in the value of the USD, nominal value of oil will go up. This means inflation, for the rest of the world. Second, when stocks and shares go down, investors, fund managers, common man will hold cash, gold and oil as alternatives. This is a shift in funds from the stock market, to the oil contracts. The spiked demand for oil, will further inflate oil prices, in the short term.
With little policable minimum wage policies, Asian countries will see rising prices. Employers now faced with the credit crunch, high materials costs, have little retreat but seek to use wage to balance the book. This potentially creates a recipe for massive stagflation for Asia.
Without careful thought on how to excerise the huge bailout plan, USA may find itself again as the epicenter of a massive economic chaos, due to the USD being the currency of the world. The result may be a herculean task for the USA foreign service trying to balance a wonderful opportunity for Russia to step in as the counterweight in a world distraught at USA policies.
The bailout plan may seem to be mainly an American issue. But Asia, and Russian superpower dreams wait in the wings. October 02 Vote No for Wall Street BailoutMy perspective, in very simple illustration: A man earning $1 a month wants to buy a cup worth $2. He applies to the bank for a loan for $1.50. The bank in its greed for more interest collection, values the cup at $20 and extends a loan of $20 to the man. The interest rate is pegged to 0.1% for the first 3 years. The man happily takes the extra money. After 3 years, the bank revises the interest rate to 10%. The man is unable to service his loan anymore. The bank gets the cup. Due to massive cup sales this way, the oversupply of cups causes the cup value to become $0.20 now. The bailout means, the Government buys the cup from the bank. Now, the bank will NOT quote $0.20 or even $2 for the cup to the Government. These bankers will tell the Government, it is worth $50! This will cause long tedious negotiations, which will fail some banks in the meantime anyway. The Government will be forced to buy the cup at $25 eventually to end the long negotiations. The OVERPRICED cup will be a BAILOUT to the banks, who takes $5 more than the loan they gave out, and the economy is worse off, with inflation due to $0.20 cups priced at $25, paid for by taxpayers! September 17 The ERP ironySent to Straits Times Forum
17 September 2008
New transport price structure is an ERP irony
The new public transport fare structure provides a good rebate for transfers. This is an encouraging sign to reduce waiting time by shortening the bus routes to allow faster redeployment of each vehicle. This also means a higher frequency of bus arrivals.
Public buses have been subjected to the ERP earlier.
The objective of the ERP is to reduce traffic, hence, improve speeds along congested roads. This has seen certain success in improving road conditions in the Republic.
The ERP does not seem coherent with the new fare structure, and the greater bus service frequencies it seemed to want to achieve.
Also, the Public Transport Committee (PTC), which is established under the Ministry of Transport, and Land Transport Authorities (LTA) has a good set of service standards stated at http://www.ptc.gov.sg/services_standard.asp.
Point 4.4 of the PTC service standards webpage says "At least 80% of bus services to operate at headway of not more than 15 minutes (to be changed to 10 minutes with effect from Aug 2009) during weekday (excluding public holidays) peak periods, unless otherwise stipulated by the PTC."
This means that the ERP cannot reduce the traffic volume of the public buses due to the PTC regulations. The ERP however, punishes the public transportation operators by increasing their operating costs for service improvements in reducing waiting times while running counter objective of both the PTC service standards, and the new fare objectives. These additional costs are not necessary, and will instead be passed to the consumers of public transportation, with no real value-add nor service improvements.
ONG Lip Hua (MR) August 29 Like . LoveSent to The Straits Times on Friday, 29 August 2008 Like. Love In the midst of searching for the "right one", most of us seem to be fixated at "feelings" as the barometer of "love". Feelings are wonderful beings. They hold us up, and give us strength to brave seemingly impossible odds and uncertain destinies. Feelings are perceptions our "heart" decide due mostly to due to a myraid of chemical reactions contributed by our eyeballs, nostrils, ears, skin and tongue. Little can we control the manfestation of feelings, though to some extent, experience and perceptions may affect these wonderous beings. Feelings held many of us holding ideals and expectations beyond what we really are seeking. Feelings tell us how much we "like" someone. Enough to go out with this person on occasions, or give "love" a chance. Feelings also means that we can and will "like" many at the same time. We follow up on our "likes" to decide. We decide how much responsiblilties we wish to undertake towards each "like". We decide to "love". Decisions come with responsibilities. Love is a decision. It comes mostly with feelings, and it can come in the absense of. I hope many of us can choose to love, than to like love. Deciding to love gives us the constant security and solumn determination to rekindle feelings as they come and go with the chemical reactions in our bodies. I hope this will allow many of us to choose the right one, than to feel for one too many. August 24 Beneath the National FlagSaturday, 23 August 2008. A letter in the Straits Times rebutting that it is due to more foreigners who stay in the HDB flats resulting in less National Flags being hosted in HDB estates. Foreigners usually stay in condominums, and condominiums are fully flagged.
I take his last point that Singaporeans do not understand the trials of staying in foreign countries. That is probably why we are seeing less flags. The replacement rate of Singaporeans has been below 2 for about a decade. Singapore citizenship has increased from 2.8 (est) to 4 million in about a decade. That refers to an influx of many many new citizens, which is not a bad thing.
Comparing the pride and festive atmosphere in the 1980s, 1990s and now in the 2000, the difference, is stark. I still remember proudly salutely my flag, whenever I see one in 1980s and 1990s. In those days, it was very hard to get approval for displaying the National flag. There was a strong sense of belonging. Every Singaporean is proud to identify with each other. And Singaporeans are a very loving tribe. New guys get accepted, once you display your pink IC or red passport.
So what happened to our National flag?
It is not the foreigners' fault. They have no obligation to put up OUR flag. And no, not most foreigners live in condominums, foreign "talent" according to Singapore labour laws can be anyone employed as a CEO to someone who sweeps the floor and clears my tables. I don't need to take a snipe here, but this "talent" obviously has not understood our Singapore society enough, to draft a sensible letter to the papers.
And that is exactly the problem.
The sudden huge influx of new immigrants who no longer identify or celebrate "Singapore" as defined by the main body, find it hard to integrate. While the main body moves and hums along like woodwork, too systematic to understand how to communicate with the new additions.
This, on top of highly indiscriminate and too liberal issuing of labour passes to "talents".
"Singapore needs foreign talents, especially in areas like IT and finance where it is lacking." So commented an Indian national in the Sunday Times, 24 August 2008. And how does Singapore lack in IT and finance profesisonals? Let me just take for example, India. I met an Indian banking Director here on conference. I commented that India's banking and financial sector is too enclosed and off limits to foreigners. His answer is, that the entire India banking sector is worth about USD100 million. Liberalising it, will be a catastrophe of Indian banks being bought out in 15 minutes.
Protectionism, is not good. But if we do not ensure our people do not get sufficient opportunities at being exposed and trained in crucial sectors, obviously, we will never have enough "talents". Then we have to import "talents" from protectionist countries, whose "talents" may not necessary be as good as those we rejected, for lack of opportunities.
In his National Day rally this year, Prime Minister Lee said " ... many of us think foreigners are here to depress our wages, this is not so..." and about 10 minutes later, he continued with "... and we have to let them employ more foreigners, to help them cut costs..."
And a few days ago, the papers reported that Singapore had an increase of millionaires and billionaires.
Late one night before National Day, I heard strange sounds in the corridor. It was members of the Residents' Committee (RC) hanging flags along the corridor. I salute them for the hard work. I would have been among those who will not bother with the flag.
Why put up something, I can hardly relate to anymore? The Singaporean identity is so diluted, I can no longer define who I am, and why is it that I am so.
Maybe we do have to slow down some. Talk to each other, build the bond. Doesn't matter if there will only be 4 million Singaporeans 5 years later, still. What matters is, we will have 4 million people who will hang out the flags, with pride. August 07 PathwaysIt have been ten months, slightly more, since I found time. It must have been busy, my memory cannot recall the hustlings of the past few months.
Discussions have been on around me on the topic of kids, marriage, and singlehood.
All listed in reverse, because a single can never make an objective evaluation on the choice between singlehood and marriage, and a childless (by choice) couple, cannot never understand personally the difference between having kids and not.
Thank you for the lively and sincere discussions all my friends. Singles, married and those with lovely little ones. We have all made our choices, most are happy the way we are. For the confused ones, the answer lies inside you.
My opinion? I rather stay single, if I were to choose again. No, don't get me wrong. I love my wife dearly, my kid is a blessing I can never repay. And I can never regret for the wonderful family I have now. But the choice of singlehood is made for some simple reasons.
1) Money. Yup, pure and simple. Singles can get on with less. They can ask for lower salaries and steal everyone's job application, just like getting an easy cheapskate entry VISA to another country while planning your next big leap while sabotaging the current population living on OMG mega difficulties called the 30 year unreachable HDB loans. Then again we might throw in reservist duties for good measure, and IPPT, and RT, and mobilisation, and your own insurance for performing national feats of security for the purpose (as a by-product) of the career and promotion of some other heavily paid (pegged to top industry sources) scholistically inclined intellectuals, who will stump your career advancement because they needed a retirement job, but cannot compete on equal footing, hence needing some divine intevention.
Singles can "sponge" off their parents, rather than pay property taxes on "subsidised housing" on rental payments we probably never earned.
All these result in higher savings, less stressful life and better holidays. Less stressed people of course perform better at work and get better career advancement. And bigger holidays and better mood gains you more friends and networks for career advancement and more money.
2) Mobility. The old line of "so what are you going to do about it" from certain highly intellectual people always challanges us to "look wider and broader". Globalisation is a trend. Being mobile means you can choose to follow the business cycles and jobs rather than stay in one country and wait out the business cycles. It again allows you to hop onto the easy cheapskate entry VISA to sabotage the current population by jumping in and out of countries and economies while demanding for better treatment. Except probably, you don't need to ask for better treatment if you are that good anyway.
And you can refuse bad rubbish from top level Management who never makes a mistake on portfolio assignment and talent recognition, which in a way affects productivity, hence company profits, hence salaries. Not theirs anyway.
Everyone of us appreciates the freedom to give a finger when we need to.
3) Again money. Recurring ones too. This is for those of us choosing between a kid, kids, or none at all. Milk power, children clothings (whose shop owners are held against the wall by rental), extra classes (because almost every other kid is going), medical, future education, moving to more expensive estates and volunteering in schools to get your kid into them. Especially that last point. Takes time away from you for your darling spouse and kids who you are ironically trying to provide better for, and affects your work.
It almost feel heroic, for taking on the (additional) responsibilities of the nation's thrust for a larger population.
But hey, no.
I chose it. I got married because I love my wife, so much. I must be with her for the rest of my life. It might be a fleeting stability of 30-50 years, depending on how much longer I am kept on this world. But it is eternal for every day it happens.
We chose it. We took on kids, because we feel complete with them. We love them so. Because we wanted kids.
And finally no. The nation cannot entice anyone who cannot fulfill the career and monetary needs to have kids. At least not today's educated workforce. Not more maternalty or paternalty leave (though we can do with more), not just baby bonus.
Take away that stress of life, and life will proceed with itself.
That roof over our heads don't need to cost so much. Please subsidise if you use that word in the real sense. A discount, is a discount, especially if it provides you with profits, huge profits.
Membership can get enticing, only if it has its priviledges. The larger, the better. But of course, we are gracious people too. Cheapening it for the experience of it, is bad marketing and stupid brain childs by desparate smoking guns learned only in the worst Business Schools not available in top notch systems designed by top notch talents of Singapore.
And if an old wheel which still operates but cannot fit into the turbo power plant you are trying to operate, please, it's time to change it, or put it into a museum. Not retrofit the plant to fit the wheel. Especially if you think you deserve to be a top Management of the plant as a second career when you retire. At least, try to understand the plant, first.
And yes. I'd still be single. If I had not met my wife. September 20 Let CPF bred entrepreneursTODAY newspaper
VOICES
21 September 2007
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Entrepreneurs at 55: How CPF 'loans' can help
Letter from ONG Lip Hua The proposal to delay the CPF withdrawal age is a rational decision taken on the assumption that Singaporeans are job-seekers. . Some Singaporeans do indeed squander away their "newly-found" riches after withdrawing their CPF monies. . However, there is also a group of Singaporeans who start a business using their CPF funds. . With Singapore rapidly becoming a global city, together with the advances in learning technologies, the next generation of Singaporeans is more likely and more well-placed — with their social networks — to become entrepreneurs at 55. . We should conduct studies on Singaporeans who have started businesses after withdrawing their CPF and encourage more to do the same. . Generating income through entrepreneurship will reduce the stress on the Government to provide social assistance to our greying population, while helping to contribute to our economic growth. . Income earned from these businesses will help finance our longer life expectancy. . In addition, the rigours of business management will keep us active throughout our "retirement" years. . Admittedly, not all of us are entrepreneurial. . However, that should not stop the CPF board from considering schemes like interest-free "loans" from our own CPF funds if we are keen on undertaking such entrepreneurial endeavours, when we hit the age of 55. . Successful businessmen can contribute the "borrowed" amount towards their CPF after reporting profit, if CPF wishes to be more conservative. ----------------------------------------------
Sent to TODAY newspaper on 19 September 2007 ----------------------------------------------
The proposal to delay the CPF withdrawal age is a rational decision taken on the assumption that Singaporeans are jobseekers.
Some Singaporeans do squander away the "new" riches of their withdrawn CPF, but there is also a group of Singaporeans who have started businesses with their CPF funds, and contributed to the Singapore economy. With Singapore rapidly transforming into a global city, and the advancement of learning technologies, the next generation of Singaporeans are more likely, and well placed with their social network to be entrepreneurs, at 55.
We should study the Singaporeans who have started businesses after withdrawing their CPF, and encourage these traits. Generating income through entrepreneurship will reduce the stress on the Government to provide social assistance to our greying population, while contributing to our economic growth. Income earned through businesses will finance our longer life expectancy, and the rigour of business management will keep us active throughout our "retirement" years.
Not all of us are entrepreneurial, but that should not stop the CPF board from taking some risk appetite of the private sector managers, whose pay the civil service managers are benchmarked against. We may consider schemes like interest-free "loans" from our own CPF funds towards such entrepreneural spirits, at age 55. Successful businessmen can contribute the "borrowed" amount towards their CPF after reporting profit, if CPF wishes to be careful, still.
While I am against ageism, I believe most of us would have lost that urge nor retain the energy to start a business, at 65 years old.
ONG Lip Hua August 22 National Rally 2007 - minor pointThree days, after the Prime Minister made his speech, talk is still on.
I do not want to pretend that I was even interested in listening in, first hand. My disinterest, and the causes of, will be discussed separately.
I finally took a look at what PM Lee said, by going to the gov.sg website. This, after being asked too many times of my opinions on the National Rally, and all I could offer was "the banner looks awful, ugly, overdone, outdated, and of poor taste."
One thing struck me, when reading through the part about income gap, talent attraction and rentention. The rental, and role of Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Town Councils, and Inland Revenue Authority of Sigapore (IRAS) in the rental of commercial spaces were totally not discussed.
Outside the income gap, or one main contributor to the widening income gap, is the costs of living. Confuse not the terms, standard of living and costs of living, they do not move in tandem, but have an inversed relationship. Simple explaination, when costs of living goes up, you have to work harder, and longer, to buy that burger. Hence, your standard of living drops. This concept is important. Because, fellow citizens have been telling me, Singapore has to be costlier because our standard of living is going up. Such paradox, misleading us to work harder and longer hours for something which is going in reverse of what we think we are achieving.
Back to the rentals.
Now, I know of a recent incident of an MP, who shall stay unnamed, conducting the walkabout just before national day. The hawkers and shop owners refused to shake hands with the MP. Because the shop rentals were just increased, by a fairly large amount, and two hawker centers merged, and store spaces reduced. What do all these mean for us?
1) Rental costs increased, costs must be passed fully or partially to consumers.
2) Majority of patrons of neighborhood shops and hawker centers are middle-low incomers.
3) Longer working hours means you cannot (have time to) cook at home.
4) Silence on the role or rate on increase of rentals, creates the impression that the shop owners are trying to profiteer.
5) Publicity on CASE stepping in to capture the incidence of the phenomena of increasing prices, without information on the actual contribution of costs to such increases, gives undue credits to certain segments.
Until I see more truth coming out, and the costs of our seriously good Government being revealed and reviewed, I will continue to have no interests in big speeches by big names.
May 04 Keep alternatives and downtown lineTODAY newspaper
VOICES, 4 May 2007
More MRT lines, home offices the way forward
Letter from Ong Lip Hua I agree with Mr Tan Kin Lian ("Alternatives to the Downtown line", May 2) that there should be an increase in the capacity of current public transportation to meet the surging transportation demands of the expanding economy. . At the same time, I am all for the Government's plans to invest in the Downtown line. . If Singapore's population is to hit 6.5 million, going to and returning from work will be a horror, without the expanded MRT pickup and dropoff points. The expanded MRT lines will also facilitate travel for Singaporeans' whose favourite past-time is to shop during the weekends. It also provides convenience for those of us who cannot afford to live near town. . Borrowing a leaf from Ms Yvonne Wong ("Have a mum-friendly economy", May 2), employers should be encouraged to accept the Soho (small office, home office) concept, to reduce the worsening peak-hour traffic jams. Knowledge workers — the source of Singapore's value-add labour force of tomorrow — can apply their knowledge for work, without being in the office. . Developing both the alternatives and the MRT lines would reduce the need to increase the ERP charges, which Mr Jason Chiam had pointed out in "Raising ERP rates may not be the solution" (May 2), by reducing the traffic on the roads. -----------------------------------------
Sent to TODAY newspaper on 2 May 2007
I agree with Mr Tan Kin Lian that we should increase the capacity of current public transportation to meet the surging transportation demands of the expanding economy. However, we should invest in the downtown line.
If Singapore's population is to hit 6.5 million, going to and returning from work will be a horror, without the expanded MRT pickup and dropoff points. The expanded MRT lines will also facilitate travel for Singaporeans' favourite past-time - shopping, during the weekends. It also provides the convenience for those of us who cannot afford to live near town.
Borrowing a leaf from Ms Yvonne Wong (Have a mum-friendly economy), employers should be encouraged to accept the Soho (small office, home office) concept, to reduce the worsening peak hour traffic jams. Knowldege workers can apply their knowledge for work, without being in the office, and are the source of Singapore's 6.5 million value-add labour force of tomorrow.
Developing both the alternatives and the MRT lines, will reduce the need to increase the ERP charges, which Mr Jason Chiam pointed out in "Raising ERP rates may not be the solution", by reducing the traffic on the roads.
ONG Lip Hua (Mr)
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TODAY newspaper
VOICES, 2 May 2007
Alternatives to the Downtown line
Letter from Tan Kin Lian
April 18 High rents cut both waysTODAY Newspaper
20 April 2007
HDB rentals affected, too
Different kinds of 'expats'
Rents ruled by market reality
Letter from Ong Lip Hua
Letter from Jean Haong Letter from Evan Teo While foreigners have been up in arms over the recent hike in rental rates, Singaporeans living in Housing Board flats have also been hurt by the sudden upturn.
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore taxes a property based on prospective rental income, regardless of whether it is successfully rented out. Coupled with the rental hike, HDB-dwellers also bear the blunt of an economic activity they have no part in. I believe most HDB homeowners do not rent out any part of their homes.
The fact that most HDB dwellers are in the middle to low-income segments of the citizenry and have seen their income stagnate or drop while the economy powers ahead will contribute to more resentment against the main factor for the rise in rents: The influx of foreigners, which drives up the rental market for the richer (condos) and the poorer players (HDB rental).
The Government must look into the contradictory situation of creating employment and increasing GDP while penalising the heartlanders, if they want the citizenry to better embrace new immigrants and the foreign talent policy.
I refer to the letter, "Not all expats have fat pay packages" (April 18), by Ms Meera Sahasranaman. It is necessary to distinguish an "expat" from a "foreign worker". In Singapore, there seems to be hardly any distinction between the two. To group the more highly-educated foreigners working in Singapore as "expats" in general is not accurate. Once upon a time, "expats" meant employees from a foreign country who were posted to a host country for work on either a "home-based delegation" or a "host-based delegation" with the relevant negotiations of pay packages prior to accepting the position. Those who sought foreign jobs independently were not considered "expats".
I have lived in Germany for the past one year and have interacted with people from many countries, including Argentina, Poland, Russia, Ireland, Iraq, Iran, the United Kingdom and Belgium. In Europe, worker migration is very common, with citizens from the poorer European countries travelling to the richer ones to find work.
Partly due to the right of free movement or employment of European Union citizens within the EU, many are able to seek work independently without a company-based delegation. They are not termed "expats" but "foreign workers".
Going back to Ms Sahasranaman's letter, although one may have higher living standards in one's home country, if the choice is made to move to a country with a higher currency value to search for independent work, one has to expect the cost of living to increase, especially when the difference in exchange rates is significant. An American moving to London to look for independent work will feel the pinch due to the stronger British pound against the US dollar. The same applies to a Singaporean moving to Geneva, which, according to the 2006 Mercer Cost of Living report, was ranked the seventh most expensive city to live in, while Singapore was ranked 17th.
Also, the "big difference in the pay packages of expats from developed countries compared to those from developing countries" is perhaps due to the recognition of different educational qualifications and expertise. An education from a British university is more likely to be internationally recognised than one from, say, Africa.
I read with bemusement the reactions in the news of some foreign talents to the rising rental rates. It seems that while they are perfectly willing to accept the rhetoric of globalisation when it suits them, they, like many native Singaporeans, are quite unable to face up to its reality when it does not.
Some foreigners have even voiced an intention to leave the country if things continue as they are. Surely if their revenue-generating abilities are up to mark, no company will begrudge them a reasonable pay package.
However, if the market deems them unworthy of a raise in compensation to offset rising rent, then market logic must prevail and uncompetitive entities weeded out. -------------------------------------------
Sent to TODAY newspaper on 18 April 2007
While the recent hike in property rental have the foreigners up in arms, Singaporeans living in HDB flats are also hurt in this sudden upturn. IRAS currently taxes HDB flats based on the prospective rental income, regardless if it is successfully rented out. Coupled with the recent rental hike, HDB dwellers who only wanted a decent home also bear the blunt of an economic activity they do not partake in. I believe majority of the HDB home-owners do not rent out any part of our homes. April 16 Have common denominator for Ministers' pay and bonusSent to TODAY on 12 April 2007
I quote Minister Teo Chee Hean in the need to "compare apples to apples" in the Ministerial salary debate. Currently, the Minister's salary is pegged to the top earners in Singapore, while their bonus is pegged to the GDP of Singapore.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the value of goods and service produced within an inanimate geographical boundary does not sit well with the pegged to real life persons of the Ministers' salaries. Moreover, Singapore has an extremely small agriculture and natural produce base to significantly justify the use of GDP in calculating the value-add of the Ministers' work.
We should peg the Ministers' bonus to the Gross National Product (GNP), which measures the income of all Singaporeans. This will ensure that the denominator of real persons' incomes for both the salary and bonus of the Ministers are common. Minister Mentor has on many occasions impressed on everyone, that Singapore sole most valuable resource is our people. The peg to GNP will validate this fact.
Making Singaporean's income the performance indicator of our public office holders will assure all Singaporeans that Mr Maliki's "by the people, for the people" Government interview given to an Indonesian reporter earlier is, beyond doubt. This also sends an affirmative signal that the public office holders are not in only for the money, but are keen to serve the nation through the key responsibility of increasing Singaporeans' annual value.
It will also put to rest the debate that Government favours foreigners over Singaporeans in their policy making.
I believe Prime Minister Lee, who has proven the these points correct by donating his increment for the next 5 years, is the best attestment for the implementation of this peg.
ONG Lip Hua (Mr) A deeper comparisonSent to TODAY newspaper on 2 April 2007
I am bemused at our obssession and wories on seemingly "better" quality of foreigners in our schools. The mediocore highlights of how many foreign borned won high honours against Singaporeans, cannot justify the views and wories if our own offsprings are inferior compared to imported genes.
We should compare the performances of adopted foreign babies nurtured by Singaporean parents against those who were imported wholesale. This will indicate if the "foreigners are better" statement can be qualified. A comparison within Singaporeans and foreign groups' performance in percentages will also indicate if the gap is as wide as protrayed.
Singaporeans should seek to understand the dynamics behind the perceived relative poor performance against foreign borned and improve on what may be our own poor parenting skills and education assumptions, than subscribe to the mass hysteria of shallow observations.
ONG Lip Hua (Mr) April 02 Halt that dissonance, eldersSent to TODAY newspaper on 12 March 2007
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I am horrified by the relentless frustration and resentment directed at the younger generation by the Singaporean elders, over displacement in employment.
While I agree that age discrimination has no place in employment, I question the contribution of the younger generation towards the elders' current plight.
Through their hardwork in building up Singapore, the elders have enjoyed rewards of being able to fully pay for their own flats in 5-6 years. The rapid property, stock market and employment boom of the 1980s-1990s gave the elders a wide window of opportunities to increase their capital and assets. The younger generation have largely missed these good times to face the 1997 meltdown upon graduation. Economic recovery was only in the last 2 years.
Surely, we cannot be responsible for capital loses due to rife speculation we were not able to participate in. We were too young to advise the elders towards capital protection. And we were the minority voters, if at all, in previous General Elections.
The younger generation now faces a 30-year span to pay for our first flat, stagnating income and higher inflation which does not allow us to even think of retirement, and pressures of an intensified rat race, not faced by our elders.
I shudder at the possibilities of enacted laws to procure compulsory employment for vocal elders, at the expense of the breathless younger generation. It will only cause more of us "ungrateful schmucks" to vote with our feet.
With time and patience on their hands, elders should develop businesses which the younger generation is not able to compete in. Elder networks can be developed into businesses running errands which test the patience of the younger generation. It takes half an afternoon to collate and pay bills for a few young working families, for a small fee, and spells benefits for everyone. The elders earn a fee, and finds work to pass time, while we avoid the nasty long queues.
Continued directing of frustration at us by the elders will probably mean a face-off at the next General Elections. Which the younger generation now has the majority votes, luckily or not. The greatest victim in this saga, however, will be our nation, Singapore.
ONG Lip Hua (Mr) March 16 Building SafetyTODAY 16 March 2007
Avoid use of lifts and naked light Letter from ONG CHAN LENG WE REFER to Mr Ong Lip Hua's letter, "Shake up building safety" (March 12). .Singapore is located a great distance away (more than 400km) from the nearest Indonesian earthquake fault. .Over such distances, the seismic waves reaching the Republic would have been reduced to a level that is unlikely to have an impact on the structural safety of our buildings as they are designed according to established building codes and can withstand tremors caused by distant earthquakes. .Those who are indoors during a tremor should take cover under a table and keep away from items made of glass or hanging objects. They should not use the lift or any naked light (in case there is a gas leak). People who are not in buildings should remain in the open, away from structures and overhead electrical cables. .Once the vibrations have stopped, the buildings should be checked for any visible sign of structural damage, such as new cracks on walls, floors, parapet, columns and beams. .If no damage is found, it is generally safe to stay in the building. Evacuation of the building is necessary only when visible signs of structural damage have been found after a tremor.-------------------------- http://www.todayonline.com/articles/176739.asp TODAY 12 March 2007
I AM perturbed by the information that only some — not all — tall office buidlings in areas which felt the tremors of the Sumatra quake evacuated their tenants. .Singapore's strict building regulations and geography mean there is only a negligible chance of building failures caused by earthquakes. However, leaving tenants in buildings while conducting structural checks is unacceptable in high-rise, high-density areas. .With many buildings in the central area more than 20 stories high, the amount of time needed to evacuate the many tenants only upon discovery of any structural problems is inconceivable. The risk taken on the tenants' lives is too great.
.Consider pregnant women, who are less mobile. Surely, not all building management teams will know how many tenants who require special assistance there are, and where in the buildings they are, so they can render special attention during an emergency.
.An immediate evacuation while testing structural integrity during such events also provides the assurance to tenants, who should return only after all floors are deemed safe.
.With Singapore seeking to increase our population, we can expect greater human density in the country. The relevant authorities should be more serious about ensuring building safety. |
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