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A statistical analysis of the CNA Political Forum on Singapore’s Future

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14 years ago

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On 2 April 2011, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) aired ‘A Political Forum on Singapore’s Future’, featuring Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Member of Parliament (MP) Josephine Teo representing the People’s Action Party (PAP), Gerald Giam for the Worker’s Party, Lina Chiam for the Singapore People’s Party, Vincent Wijeysingha for the Singapore Democratic Party and Mr Mohamed Nazem Suki for the Singapore Democratic Alliance.

During the forum, issues such as employment, cost of living, the influx of foreign talent, housing and GST were raised.

In this article, Leong Sze Hian examines the statements and statistics put forward by the ruling party.

Jobs

“80 per cent of PMET jobs go to Singaporeans”

What is the source of this statistic? To the best of my knowledge, no Ministry of Manpower (MOM) report or media report has ever disclosed this data. So, is the speaker privy to data that no one is aware of?

If so, then, it obviously raises serious issues of transparency and accountability – why is it that only when there is a political debate on TV does such data become available?

By the way, is the 80 per cent in reference to all PMETs currently employed?  What about PMETs who are unemployed? What about PMETs who are undergoing training because they can’t find a job, who are not counted as unemployed? What about the new PMET jobs created that went to Singaporeans – 80 per cent.

Also, since labour data is always not broken-down into Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs), does the 80 per cent refer to locals or Singaporeans?

Unemployment

“Our unemployment rate today is 2.1 per cent”

This is the overall unemployment rate, including foreigners. The unemployment rate for locals is 3.1 per cent. No one knows what the unemployment rate is for Singaporeans.

Quotas for foreign workers?

“Quotas to employing foreigners”

The quotas only apply to work permits. 25 per cent of a company’s total work force can be S-Pass, while there is no quota for employment passes, i.e 100 per cent of the work force can be EPs.

And of course, there is no quota for PRs. So the entire work force can be PRs.

A total of 115,900 jobs were created in Singapore for the whole of last year. Local employment grew by 56,200.

Actually, as foreign employment grew by 59,700, it means that the rate of change of growth in foreign employment over the previous year’s minus 4,200, was about four times more than that for locals over the previous year’s 41,800.

This is despite the consistent rhetoric that the influx of foreign workers will be curtailed.

Also, since the data for locals is not broken down into Singaporeans and PRs, how many of the jobs created actually went to Singaporeans?

As of December 2010, there were 1,992,700 locals in employment, forming around two in three of the 3,105,900 persons employed in Singapore. The remaining 1,113,200 were foreigners.

If say 20 per cent of the locals are PRs, then about 49 per cent or one in two workers in Singapore are foreigners. This I believe is the highest ever for the ratio of foreign workers to Singaporeans.

So much for quotas!

Longest working hours in the world?

“High quality of life”

Singaporeans have the longest working hours in the world, beating the South Koreans who previously held the top position.

According to the Singapore Census of Population 2010, 228,856 workers worked between 50 – 54 hours, 73,761 between 55 – 59 hours, 134,716 between 60 – 64 hours, and 142,551 65 hours and over.

This means that 579,884 persons worked at least 50 hours, which is about 31 per cent of all workers in Singapore.

4,709 aged 65 and above worked 65 hours and over, 2,609 worked 60 – 64 hours, 1,931 worked 55 – 59 hours, and 3,553 worked 50 – 54 hours.

4,023 persons worked 40 – 44 hours, 1,688 worked 45 –49 hours, 1,329 worked 50 – 54 hours, 849 worked 55 – 59 hours, 1,095 worked 60 – 64 hours, and 2,289 worked 65 hours & over – all of these people for less than S$500.

Wages

“Median wage increase in Singapore”

According to the Report on Labour Force in Singapore 2010, the real median gross monthly income from work rose by only 0.5 per cent last year.

In the light of Singapore’s record GDP growth of 14.5 per cent last year, this increase is very small indeed.

As the median income was S$2,000 in 2000, after adjusting for inflation to the median income of S$2,500 in 2010, does it mean that the real income growth over the last decade or so was only just over one per cent per annum?

GST

“The rich person pays more GST as they consume more goods and services”

GST is a regressive tax as the poor pay more, as a percentage of their income, than the rich. So, it hurts the lower-income more, on a relative basis to higher income earners.

HDB

“High percentage of home ownership”

“85 per cent of the bottom 20 per cent own their homes”

Why are there no regular statistics of how many HDB loan and HDB bank loans are in arrears over three months, HDB bank loan foreclosures, etc?

I estimate loans in arrears to be about 38,000 and about 60 foreclosures a month. What price have Singaporeans paid for this highest percentage of home ownership in the world – how many have lost their homes, CPF, been made bankrupt?

“People are paying only 23 per cent for their mortgage”

This is the now infamous HDB statistic, which only captures data of those who currently have mortgages. Those who can’t afford won’t buy, and those who can’t afford would have given up their flats. So, thoe who still have mortgages surely must be able to afford to pay!

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TJC issued 3rd POFMA order under Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods

The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was issued its third POFMA correction order on 5 October 2024 under the direction of Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods about death penalty processes. TJC has rejected the government’s claims, describing POFMA as a tool to suppress dissent.

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1 day ago

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6 October 2024

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The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty, was issued its third Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction on 5 October 2024.

The correction was ordered by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, following TJC’s publication of what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleges to be false information regarding Singapore’s death row procedures and the prosecution of drug trafficking cases.

These statements were made on TJC’s website and across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

In addition to TJC, civil activist Kokila Annamalai was also issued a correction direction by the minister over posts she made on Facebook and X between 4 and 5 October 2024.

According to MHA, these posts echoed similar views on the death penalty and the legal procedures for drug-related offences, and contained statements that the ministry claims are false concerning the treatment of death row prisoners and the state’s legal responsibilities in drug trafficking cases.

MHA stated that the posts suggested the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily, without due regard to legal processes, and that the state does not bear the burden of proving drug trafficking charges.

However, these alleged falsehoods are contested by MHA, which maintains that the government strictly follows legal procedures, scheduling executions only after all legal avenues have been exhausted, and that the state always carries the burden of proof in such cases.

In its official release, MHA emphasised, “The prosecution always bears the legal burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and this applies to all criminal offences, including drug trafficking.”

It also pointed to an article on the government fact-checking site Factually to provide further clarification on the issues raised.

As a result of these allegations, both TJC and Annamalai are now required to post correction notices. TJC must display these corrections on its website and social media platforms, while Annamalai is required to carry similar notices on her Facebook and X posts.

TikTok has also been issued a targeted correction direction, requiring the platform to communicate the correction to all Singapore-based users who viewed the related TJC post.

In a statement following the issuance of the correction direction, TJC strongly rejected the government’s claims. The group criticised the POFMA law, calling it a “political weapon used to crush dissent,” and argued that the order was more about the exercise of state power than the pursuit of truth. “We have put up the Correction Directions not because we accept any of what the government asserts, but because of the grossly unjust terms of the POFMA law,” TJC stated.

TJC further argued that the government’s control over Singapore’s media landscape enables it to push pro-death penalty views without opposition. The group also stated that it would not engage in prolonged legal battles over the POFMA correction orders, opting to focus on its abolitionist work instead.

This marks the third time TJC has been subject to a POFMA correction direction in recent months.

The group was previously issued two orders in August 2024 for making similar statements concerning death row prisoners.

In its latest statement, MHA noted that despite being corrected previously, TJC had repeated what the ministry views as falsehoods.

MHA also criticised TJC for presenting the perspective of a convicted drug trafficker without acknowledging the harm caused to victims of drug abuse.

Annamalai, a prominent civil rights activist, is also known for her involvement in various social justice campaigns. She was charged in June 2024 for her participation in a pro-Palestinian procession near the Istana. Her posts, now subject to correction, contained information similar to those presented by TJC regarding death penalty procedures and drug-related cases.

POFMA, which was introduced in 2019, allows the government to issue correction directions when it deems falsehoods are being spread online.

Critics of the law argue that it can be used to suppress dissent, while the government asserts that it is a necessary tool for combating misinformation. The law has been frequently invoked against opposition politicians and activists.

As of October 2024, Minister K Shanmugam has issued 17 POFMA directions, more than any other minister. Shanmugam, who was instrumental in introducing POFMA, is followed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who has issued 10 POFMA directions.

Major media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and Mothership, have covered the POFMA directions. However, as of the time of writing, none have included TJC’s response rejecting the government’s allegations.

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Current Affairs

Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

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4 days ago

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4 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

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