Malays in 2007: Renewed confidence amidst turbulence?
December 29, 2007
By Kamal Mamat
Amidst the gloom of inflation and concerns over spiky social issues, one can sense that generally, 2007 has been a positive year for the Malay community. Of course, the rising costs of goods and services dent this sentiment. Read more
Healthcare costs increase the most, but MediFund payouts declining?
December 28, 2007
By Leong Sze Hian
I refer to the article “Nov inflation hits 4.2%, 25-year high” (ST, Dec 25), and the news report “Singapore’s Nov consumer prices up 4.2% year-on-year” (CNA, Dec 24).
Healthcare registered the highest increase of 6.2 per cent year-on-year, out of all items of expenditure. Transport and Communication was the second highest at 5.6 per cent, and All Items rose 4.2 per cent.
The consumer price index - a non-core measure of costs for goods and services - rose 4.2 percent from a year earlier after rising 3.6 percent in October.
Since Healthcare inflation has gone up the most, has help for the poor by way of MediFund gone up too?
Contrasting Tactics of Resistance: our own Aung San Suu Kyis and Bhuttos?
December 26, 2007
By Travis Tan
If a top-ten list of 2007 buzz-phrases were to be compiled, somewhere between “rising costs” and “enbloc fever” you would find “military junta” and “pro-democracy movements”.
Thus, with our vocabulary extended and our eyes fixated on developments over the past year, this article explores the two most prominent and captivating pro-democracy movements of 2007; through the eyes of their disparate principle drivers.
This cursory exploration of contrasting styles of resistance, unveils some unexpected parallels with the current state of oppositional politics in Singapore. This leaves us to wonder: does Singapore have our own Aung San Suu Kyis and Benazir Bhuttos?
Paying more for good people – what if it backfires?
December 20, 2007
Higher pay means better leaders?
ComfortDelgro’s “self-examination” exercise
December 20, 2007
ComfortDelGro not comforting at all. Read more
Is the Singaporean population shrinking? - Part 2
December 19, 2007
By Leong Sze Hian
I refer to Stephanie Lim Pek Hsia’s letter “Cap number of foreign workers they can hire” (New Paper, Nov 10), and media reports about the record jump in the number of new PRs, PRs becoming citizens and foreigners this year.
About 7,300 Singapore citizenships were granted in the first half of this year, and 46,900 foreigners were granted PR status in the first nine months of this year.
Using the above and data from the “Population Trends 2007″ (PT2007) report released by the Department of Statistics on 27 September 2007, the number of foreigners is estimated to exceed the number of residents (Singaporeans and PRs) in about eleven years’ time in 2018, and the number of foreigners and PRs may exceed citizens in about eight years’ time in 2015, at the current rate of population growth.
Are ministers already being paid more than their private sector salary benchmark?
December 18, 2007
By Leong Sze Hian
I refer to the report “Fatter bonus payouts expected this year” (ST, Dec 15).
It states that “Employers are expected to hand out bigger bonus payouts this year… recruitment industry leaders expect this year’s private-sector payouts to be even bigger than last year’s - which were considered among the highest in recent years”.
The bonuses expected range from a low of between 1 to 1.5 months for the Manufacturing sector, to a high of 3 to 8 months for the Oil and gas, offshore marine sector.
So, why is it that ministers’ bonuses appear to be much more in terms of the number of months (average of 9 months performance bonus plus GDP bonus of between 3 to 8 months), than everyone else in the entire population?
A government-controlled media is superior to a free media?
December 16, 2007
By Benjamin Cheah
On the 11th of December, the TODAY newspaper published an article titled “Social stability is key: Poll”.
On first glance, it seems to support the view that a government-controlled media is superior to a free media.
Indeed, its main message seems to be that public media organisations are more accurate than private media companies; most Singaporeans do not think that it is important for ordinary people to have a say in issues reported in the media; and social stability is more important than media freedom.
This article does not show popular perception; rather, it simply reflects the media, political, and legal environment of Singapore.
Is the Singaporean population shrinking? - Part 1
December 14, 2007
By Leong Sze Hian
To what extent has our liberal foreign labour and citizenship policies affected Singaporeans’ rights with reference to Article 22 and 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights ?
Is the Singaporean population shrinking because of our liberal foreign labour and residency policies?
The answer is probably nobody knows, or maybe just a few may know. Well, perhaps we can try to make a calculated guess…
I refer to media reports about the OCBC survey released on 12 December that 1 out of 50 Singaporeans (2 % of the population) aspire to migrate, and the article “Facts on the ground more eloquent than statistics: Ngiam” (Today, Dec 10).
Ministers, top civil servants to get 4% to 21% pay rise in Jan
December 13, 2007
Breaking News: From the Straits Times.
By Lynn Lee
SINGAPORE‘S ministers and top civil servants will start the New Year with a pay increase, ranging from 4 per cent to 21 per cent.
This is the second phase of an increase that was decided on in April.
Under the revised salary package announced by the Public Service Division (PSD) on Thursday, ministers at the starting grade will take home $1.94 million next year - an increase of 21 per cent over this year’s $1.6 million.
MPs and administrative officers - the elite of the civil service - will see their salaries going up by around 4 per cent or more.
