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From Channelnewsasia:
Presenting the May Day Awards to 55 individuals and companies was labour chief Lim Swee Say.
Temasek Holding’s outgoing CEO, Ho Ching was awarded the Medal of Commendation – Gold for her contributions to the labour movement and promoting harmonious labour-management relations.
Receiving the same award was Wing Tai’s Senior Advisor, James Lee – who is a strong supporter of NTUC’s social enterprises and served on the Council of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) for many years.
Two companies GlaxoSmithKline and Shimano Singapore received the Plaque of Commendation – Gold.
Also present at the dinner was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Cabinet ministers, MPs and tripartite partners. – CNA /ls
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34) Jack on April 30th, 2009 1.03 am
Have any of you expertise in investments to criticize her actions?
===========================
Wrong sentence structure.
Lacks understanding of how the english language works
Only country in the world where one can screw up in your job, lose away half the country’s reserves and get a medal for it. But you must belong to the super elite class of course.
aiyoyo
how did the INVESTMENT doing???
is it to say that whether earn/loss (in the INVESTMENT)
still can get award, cant see logic…
aiyoyo
Incredible…This should be featured in ” Ripley’s Believe or not…”
Well if the BigShot give themselves a holiday and bonuses with the money that the USA govt used to bailed them out recently…This is not that shocking…
Shocking thing is everyone is keeping their mouth shut in this island…
What next?Build a monument next to stamford raffles and the merlion??
Have any of you expertise in investments to criticize her actions? Most of you cant even feed yourselves, least to say for others Jack.
Absolutely! Very Very True with a capital ‘T’. We do have trouble feeding ourselves, we have to admit.
BUT WE DON’T GO AROUND LOSING S$50 BILLION OF OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY!
Shame on her if she dares to accept the award. It will show she has not an ounce of decency.
Think the award is for the 1st to retrenched ppls in the industries
1) DBS – 1st of 3 local bank for 900 ppls
2) Chartered – 1st in local Wafer Fab for 600 ppls
3) NOL – 1st in local shipping to retrenched.
This is a PRO-Business and PRO-Worker policy ! Who will believe?
I thought April Fool’s Day was a month ago? It goes to show why we have to bring in so called foreign talents. If this is what we give for national contribution, I am sure the average Blangladeshi workers deserves even more. At least they build some structures which I can see, not some castles in the sky. Do we have to stoop so low?
Haha they make themselves happy and make ourselves laugh at their ‘no logic-ness’. I guess they must have some systematic, random or logic errors in their head. Senile? Old liaoz? hmm..
Sounds like the Singapore spirit to me. You failed so badly loosing other people money and your company still awards during your dinner and dance.
But then we should rejoyce for the gold medal will be long lasting and will carry her fate for eternity. It will be there to remind Ho Ching and Co and the rest of Singaporeans what she did and what she lost.
Indeed a day for celebration on May day for all Singaporeans. It just go to show how in Singapore we are so magnanimous to give an award to someone who has failed so miserably in her career. This will definitely go a long way in building a culture for our people to take risks, in her case unnecessary risks but nonetheless risks.
news like these make me lose confident in singapore gahmen
Who’s the #1 public enemy now?
I am shocked!!!! Didn’t know Singapore May Day Award is so CHEAP!!!
Help lose billions and get an award! Welcome to Singapore.
E-Townhall webchat ON MAY DAY RALLY Speech 2009
http://app.reach.gov.sg/reach/Events/ETownhallwebchatONMAYDAYRALLYSpeech2009/tabid/194/Default.aspx
The best May award should rightfully belongs to all Singaporean with high level of tolerance to see people who made grave mistakes and still receive May Day award. This was never seen before in other countries. It is like a father awarding her daughter for being doing something wrong and cook up a storm out of breakfast teacup that she is still the most well-beloved daughter in the country and than you the family dogs all barking & jumping in approval with their tails in the air. Happy Labour Day!!
Hey, losing 50-odd BILLION is no easy feat! Think about it, has anyone else in the world done it? Losing 50-odd billion AND getting away with it is totally unheard of. Now, doesnt she deserve an award for her Uniquely Singapore, unbelievably outrageous achievement?
In Singapore who would say the truth cause PAP=GOD, never made mistakes and always right and the citizens always bite the bullets.
This award mean nothing to Singaporeans cause the retrenched had holidays everyday but monthly bills don’t have holidays.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Just ‘engaging’ -( whatever that means) the union under her jurisdiction is not a contribution to the LABOUR MOVEMENT.
What has she done to champion the cause for workers of the whole country?
Anyway, shows how silly this union concept is here and how meaningless life has become for the worker. This holiday is of no significance except a day off ! hahaha.. a mockery.
I would like to nominate Ms Ho to be the next President……..
#58, why not??
These people are really shooting themselves in their feet by ordaining this award to this lady.
This is an outrage tentamount to rewarding a criminal for committing a crime of irreversible damage. How on earth are we going to recoup the $58 billions lost ?? May day awards should be given to ppl who have really contributed to the society and the labour movement, such as our forefathers who have worked so hard to amass the huge public funds that she has so easily squandered away ! This is really travesty !
see liao!
in china, heads will roll, let alone award
The award was possibly given to her as a form of damage control to soften the harsh public opinion of her resulting from the failed investments.
I bet she herself also felt “pai seh” to receive it, but what to do, the old man’s probably orchestrated the entire saga and she’s just a puppet under his tragic direction.
#45) So Sad on April 30th, 2009 3.32 am
I share your sentiment.
What is our government doing? Still not reflecting on the numerous mistakes it has made? (Sigh)
Here’s PAP solution to the AWARE Saga..
Ho Ching will run for AWARE Presidency…
Some more got May Day Award… more qualified than Josie Lau!
If there is a mistake or bad judgement, the guilty one should be the one giving the award. Honestly, I think Mr Tan Kin Lian deserve a May Day award more for his help for fellow workers. I am beginning to doubt Lim Swee Say’s motives and integrity.
Tan Kin Lian should receive May Day Award whereas the great historical Loser of Singapore and her family should receive MayDay Award. We are forgetting that GIC loss is far greater than Temasek but what to do, loss has to be downplayed to save the oldman’s face and flawless perfection.
I have heard very damaging news about her labour relations gambit in the past…..so I am stunned that she is going to be awarded on Labour Day!!
Then again, she is the PM’s wife after all
Yes this award is appropriate cos’ she has already laboured four children for Singapore without the baby bonus incentives.
such audacity to stage a show that disregards public opinion, this act of self conceit do not differ from dictatorship or tyranny, will eventually lead to self collapse from within
Who is the fool that suggest the award to be given to her. This is disgusting, I wld call this person a balls carrier.
She got the award for “her contributions to the labour movement and promoting harmonious labour-management relations.” and NOT for “her contributions to TH”.
The LEE family is utterly corrupted. They can praise and award each other and nothing can Singaporeans do about it.
Wow ! Amazing ! A gold medal for one who has frittered ( with no regrets ) billion$$$ . This is truly UNIQUELY SINGAPORE !!
OMG.. did i hear wrongly ? wat a big joke.
Because HC is the wife of the PM or the daughter-in-law of the MM?
Can anyone think of a better reason?
It is Singapore, anything is possible.
ya i can give another reason, she just gave billions to australia investors and also helped the australian charity when her well invested ABC centre sold 20+ centres for 1 Aussie dollar to charity
If you all try to find REASONS for the things they do or get, you WILL go nuts…
Just IGNORE…
It is a Non-Event to me…
Natasha Bita | April 23, 2009
Article from: The Australian
FAILED childcare centres reliant on taxpayer funding have been sold to a charity for $1 each.
Mission Australia paid a token $1 each for several of the 29 ABC Learning centres it bought from the collapsed childcare chain’s receiver, PPB, industry sources told The Australian yesterday.
PPB is refusing to reveal how much it received for 210centres, sold to 65 different buyers last week.
Mission Australia plans to use its 29 new centres in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory to expand its Pathways program to help prepare disadvantaged young children for school.
“We got a really fantastic deal,” Mission Australia spokesman Paul Andrews said yesterday.
“We were able to secure favourable rent concessions and terms for some specific centres which helped balance the sustainability of the whole package.”
Mr Andrews would not say how many centres had been purchased for a token $1, citing commercial confidentiality.
He said Mission Australia was retaining the existing ABC childcare staff and predicted the centres would be “self-sustaining” within 18 months.
“Our ambition is about having a greater impact on families, particularly those doing it tough in disadvantaged areas,” he said.
“The problems that ABC had in terms of viability of the centres we don’t, because we have a completely different model – we’re not having to support shareholders.”
PPB partner Stephen Parbery, who was appointed by the Federal Court to sell 241 centres deemed unviable by ABC Learning’s co-receiver, McGrathNicol, said yesterday sales figures would be provided to the court once the sale process was completed.
“For commercial reasons we do not believe it is in the interest of the sale process to make any announcements about sale proceeds until after the completion dates of all contracts,” he told The Australian.
Mr Parbery said some of the proceeds would be paid to PPB for “chattels” – such as childcare equipment – owned by ABC.
Part of the proceeds would be repaid to the federal Government, which has given the two receivers $56 million of taxpayer funds to keep the centres running until they are sold. Any leftover funds would be paid to ABC Learning’s creditors, who are owed $1.6 billion.
Mr Parbery refused to say how much taxpayers could expect to recoup on the deal, or how many centres had been sold for token payments.
Temasek looks likely to have lost its entire S$400m (US$270m) investment in ABC Learning Centres.
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Good Show on the award. Congrats
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25372765-36418,00.html
omg, what a tragic waste of our CPF money in australia, the woman just goes about laying waste to our fortune rather than give it to us in times of need.
Wow! This is unreal…………in its stupidity.
Why are Singapore’s leaders giving ammunition for critics by doing something so thoughtless and un-meritorious?
Why are they further contributing to the people of Singapore’s ire and frustration?
Especially at such a time when unemployment just hit 5 yr Highs and the Economy in such a bad shape.
What was the loss figure 41.6%? $50+ Billion. Almost as much as Madoff!
How much is the GIC loss may I ask?
HC might have just done the PAP irreparable damage.
This might be reflected in Singapore’s next election.
Don’t panic you guys. This is Singapore’s way of following the big boys in the USA. You see we must ALWAYS copy and strive to be like ‘them’. Therefore, just like how the wall street CEOs were given golden parachutes, this is how WE reward failure. Ingenious isn’t it? Uniquely Singaporean indeed.
Singaporeans are not shown any compassion when they are facing financial difficulties and are at their wits end trying to keep a roof over their head. They must be losers in life right, especially if they can’t even make monthly payments. Evict them!
Lose billions and billions of dollars that is the sweat and blood of hardworking taxpayers? Here’s is an award.
Why are you all so surprised? Dont u know that Singapore believes in
Marry-tocracy? Marry-tocracy and FamiLee Values are pillars of our society you know?
A Maim Day award was his original intention – forgive that specky bloke lah : he cant see clearly hor ……
Why are all attacks centered on HC? I give her the benefit of the doubt – that she never ask for the award. Shame on the men & women up there trying to feed the pigs!