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  1. Questions: When PAP increase Ministers and President pay and creating MM,SM position out if thin air each iwth 3-4 mil salary exc bonus and GIC losing billions, are these rading teh reserves too? When you keep increasing withdrawal age, is this also akeen to raiding the citizens' cpf reserves for old age initially defined as 55yo??? ******************************************************************************** **************************************************************** SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan has said that lowering the price of state land is equivalent to taking money from Singapore's reserves. Mr Mah was rebutting comments made by Workers' Party (WP) Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, who had suggested that if the government was prepared to collect less money from land sales, homes can be cheaper. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community event on Saturday, Mr Mah stressed that state land is a part of Singapore's reserves which cannot be raided. He said: "That is precisely what the elected presidency was meant to do, to protect our reserves, to prevent political parties during election time from coming up with all sorts of promises to say, 'oh, I'm going to take money from the reserves to do this, that and the other'." Mr Mah also stressed that the number of new HDB flats is not small, and the lowering of prices will inevitably affect the value of resale homes. He said: "Of course, WP says, 'don't worry, it's only going to come later'. As I've said, that's very small comfort. That's like telling people, 'don't worry, the tsunami is coming, it's only going to hit us a few hours later'. But I say 'no, it's going to hit us almost immediately'. Why? because all the markets are inter-linked." Mr Mah also turned down a proposal by the opposition to have a televised debate. National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng has challenged Mr Mah to a debate on housing, which is seen as a hot-button issue in the upcoming General Election. But Minister Mah shot down the suggestion, saying the government's position on housing is clear. "(What's) more important is for the opposition parties including Workers' Party, NSP, who are all intending to say, 'oh, let's reduce house prices by giving more subsidy'.....to really, honestly tell us how much it's going to cost, and where they are going to get the money from," added Mr Mah. The minister was speaking to reporters after breaking ground for a new community plaza at Tampines. Mr Mah also shared with residents the latest upgrading plans for the estate. He announced that 13 blocks have been selected for the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme. They are blocks 201, 201A, 201B, 201C, 201D, 201E, 211, 212, 213, 214, 225, 226 and 227 at Tampines Street 21 and 23. Also at the event were two new PAP candidates - unionist Steve Tan and former Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) managing director Heng Swee Keat. The NSP, which says it will contest Tampines GRC, plans to question Mr Heng on the authority's role in the minibonds saga of 2008. Mr Heng said he welcomed any contest, adding: "We have come up with a very rigorous and fair process to deal with issues of investors' protection. So I think we have gone all out to do our best." Mr Heng also said he has been meeting residents in Tampines for the past two weeks and has received positive feedback. -CNA/ir
  2. Imagine what MIW said..since NCMP is so effective, isn't it interesting to see some underperforming minister become one when they lost they fight in the coming GE?......like WKS and that baba black sheep
  3. A couple of days ago a minister came to visit our condo door to door to campaign for the elections. At first it was not the minister himself. Just his staff or his grassroots leaders who come in advance to "prepare" the residents on how to welcome the VIP. My daughter was at the door and told them that my wife was in the shower and cannot meet him. So they left a leaflet and left. But after 5 minutes they came back again and asked my daughter again. My daughter said told them my wife was still in the shower. The fact is my wife was bathing my baby and it takes longer than usual. Hearing that the grassroots leader said sarcastically "Waaah, are you sure bathing must take so long ?"
  4. Saw the ad on CNA about it. What question would you like to post? http://www.facebook.com/QuestionTime
  5. The Straits Times www.straitstimes.com Published on Jan 29, 2011 http://www.straitstimes.com/print/ST...ry_629462.html THE CASE Worker served with $147,000 C-class bill I HAD an accident at work last June. Initially, the interim hospital bill from the National University Hospital indicated a subsidy. But when the final bill was given to me, I was shocked. The bill for my stay at a C-class ward amounted to an unsubsidised total of $147,000. I was discharged on Aug 13 last year and the reason for the difference between what was stated in the interim bill and the final one was not explained at all. Only after I asked was I told that the Ministry of Health had withdrawn the subsidy as the accident was work- related. About a month after my discharge, I applied for a waiver of the outstanding amount of about $122,000 through my MP. This was after my company had paid $25,000. As far as I am aware, the hospital did not reply to the appeal. Three months later, after more deductions from my MediShield ($41,000) and Medisave accounts ($31,000), I was informed that the hospital was in the process of scheduling an instalment payment plan for the remaining $50,000. Needless to say, my family and I are plagued by anxiety. I am 54 years old and work in the construction sector; my wife works part-time and my daughters are still in their teens. How can an average Singaporean worker like me support a family, pay off a huge hospital bill and still find more money to pay for subsequent medical requirements arising from the accident and treatment? If I had been given a subsidy, I would not have been burdened by this unexpectedly trying financial circumstances. Tan Guan Seng
  6. December 16 has been flagged as a potentially momentous day in Luca di Montezemolo's career. According to French F1 commentator Jean-Louis Moncet writing in his Auto Plus column, the Ferrari president has called journalists to Fiorano on that day. "What will he tell us?" wondered Moncet. It is speculated that the Ferrari president will discuss the famous Maranello based team and possible tweaks in the management. "Maybe he will talk about politics," added Moncet. Indeed, in recent days, 63-year-old Montezemolo has been mentioned in Italian reports about the likely demise later this month of the country's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. "He could use his high profile in business as a springboard into politics the way Berlusconi did in the early 1990s," one report said. Fascinatingly, Montezemolo's December 16 meeting with journalists is due just two days after Berlusconi faces a confidence vote in Italian parliament "which may well bring down the government", reported the New York Times. Referring to Berlusconi, the Daily Telegraph quoted Montezemolo as saying last week: "The one-man show is over." Source: GMM
  7. Just now after dinner, I hear someone pressing my door bell. I went to take a look and a man introduce himself as a staff from the RC. Saying that Minister for XXX and also also MP for YYY GRC is paying house visit to residents and tell me to provide feedback to him if i had any. I am quite surprised coz I remember the last time got minister come talk to me personally and show concern is duno how many yrs back and shortly after, I am issued a coupon telling me to tick one of the box and drop into a metal box at a nearby primary sch on a particular date. Talk to him for awhile and close door. Then I realise yesterday when I came home from work ard 8PM, I saw several workers doing maintenance work on staircase, corridor doors, shifting of potted plants etc. I thot how come so siao on for the authorities to carry out work at night. And also several guys in office attire inspecting the corridor and surrounding area. Now I know why..
  8. Has the MSK escape fiasco has anything to do with him stepping down. Kinda late to relive him of high profile position. http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/10/27/wo...abinet-changes/
  9. http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/10/26/he...-khaw-boon-wan/ Wah so cheap.
  10. RIP sir Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan dies Posted: 27 September 2010 1038 hrs Photos 1 of 1 SINGAPORE: Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan died early Monday morning. Dr Sadasivan was 55 years old. The former neurosurgeon entered politics in 2001 and was among seven new promising new candidates slated for office soon after being elected. Late in 2008, Dr Sadasivan had surgery to have a cancerous tumour removed from his colon. His friend and former MP Chandra Das said Dr Sadasivan had not been well since, but continued working till about a week ago. Dr Sadasivan was married, with two children.
  11. Transport Minister Raymond Lim made an unannounced trip on bus service 960 on Monday morning to get a better feel of the current rush hour bus frequency situation. Mr Lim was on hand to observe the loading situation in Bukit Panjang since the operator increased the number of bus trips during the morning peak period since July. He also visited the bus stop in front of Block 270 at Bukit Panjang, which was recently extended to accommodate more buses and an arrival information panel installed to provide real-time bus arrival information for commuters. According to a Channel NewsAsia report, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said the situation in the area has improved since the changes were implemented. MOT added that the unannounced visit will help officials see first-hand the impact of measures implemented to improve the public transport system. Mr Lim last visited the same area in June. Some commuters Yahoo! Singapore spoke to were impressed by Mr Lim
  12. PRAY PRAY FOR ME. In the fit of disgust, I email to MR Malboro Man or Marble man. I wrote to him about his housing policy. He has yet to reply but it was already a week ago. I am not sure if his ministry is checking on me. If I go to jail please dont send flowers JUST help sell flag for donation to get me a GOOD LAWYER preferrable L & L firm. keeping fingers and toes cross. Anybody got similar experience before. PS the last time i wrote to PM his press secretary wrote to me. Subsequently met him personally which was at a dinner function that we had to attend.
  13. Probe will be 'thorough' THE police are carrying out "very thorough" investigations into the hit-and-run accident linked to a Romanian diplomat, said Foreign Minister George Yeo on Monday. Speaking to reporters at the Indonesian Embassy after signing the condolence book for former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, who died last week, Mr Yeo said: "What happened was very bad. A man was killed. People were injured. The police are pursuing the matter very thoroughly but investigations are still ongoing and I shall not be commenting on them." Asked when would the matter be resolved as it has been over two weeks since the accident happened on Dec 15, Mr Yeo said: "The Police are not sitting on their hands." http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNew...104-189676.html George Yeo stresses due process in resolving hit
  14. Happy Deepavali to our Hindu friends. 1. Two recent events caused me to reflect more deeply on Singaporeans' concern on the subject of immigration: an RC Deepavali function in Marine Parade and my visit to Fujian. 2. At the Deepavali function, several young Indian children put up some dance items. They were children of PRs from India. Their fathers came from Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai, amongst other places. They work in accounting and IT firms, like Microsoft and IBM. These children could easily pass off as Singaporeans. Their parents encourage them to mix with Singaporeans and they will grow up with Singaporean values and Singaporean friends. 3. When I was in Fujian, I visited my ancestral village, Wuling. I was able to trace my ancestry to as far back as 1403, 17 generations ago, to a remote village in mountainous Yongchun county. My father was born in China. I was born in Singapore. Though my forefathers were Chinese, all 16 generations of them, there is no doubt that I am Singaporean in my thinking and upbringing, and perceived as a Singaporean. I was warmly welcomed in my ancestral village not as a returning Chinese national but as a visiting Singaporean leader. 4. These two experiences tell me that the new immigrants to Singapore can become Singaporean in outlook and loyalty within a generation, if we make the effort to integrate them. New immigrants are PRs or new Singapore citizens. The rest of the foreigners in Singapore are mainly migrant workers. 5. In recent months, Singaporeans have expressed concern over the adverse impact of the large number of PRs and migrant workers on our way of life. This is understandable. Singapore is densely populated, so any slight difference in living habits is magnified. Singaporeans have also worked hard to achieve a high standard of living. Naturally, they fear being crowded out by the influx of foreigners - crowded out of HDB flats, choice schools and jobs. Some foreigners are also perceived to be taking advantage of the better opportunities and services in Singapore but without the obligations of giving back to the community or doing their share of National Service. 6. PAP MPs have raised these concerns in Parliament over the years. Ministers have explained why we need to top up our population with foreigners, and how Singaporeans will always have better benefits than PRs and foreigners. But despite this, many Singaporeans still feel uneasy that the government is continuing to take in more PRs and migrant workers. It has become an emotive issue. 7. To me, whether we should have more immigrants and migrant workers or not boils down to whether they help us to sustain and enrich the quality of life of Singaporeans. 8. Ideally, we want Singaporeans to have as many children as they can afford to have so that we do not depend too much on foreigners. But we have tried with baby bonus, maternity benefits, tax incentives, and child care support. They have not worked. We even tried state-sponsored matchmaking! For all our effort in encouraging marriage and procreation, our total fertility rate climbed only marginally from 1.26 in 2004 to 1.28 last year. This is still far short of the 2.1 needed to replace father and mother. In absolute terms, we need about 60,000 babies per year. Last year, we had only 32,400 citizen babies! How do we make up for the shortfall? 9. Without PRs and new citizens, Singapore will go the way of the dinosaurs. If we do not take in any more new immigrants, our population will begin to shrink in 2020. That is only 11 years away! Let me give you another statistic. In the last 10 years, the number of people aged 65 and above has grown by about 100,000 while the number of children aged below 15 had shrunk by about 50,000. This is an unsustainable demographic structure. 10. To sustain our present standard of living, we need to top up our population with immigrants, particularly those with skills, entrepreneurial drive and talent. Without them, my guess is that our growth rate would be easily 1 to 2 percentage points lower. Well, you may say, let us do without this extra boost of 1 to 2 percentage points from foreigners in future and be satisfied with our present quality of life. But it is not that simple. Without the foreign workforce, our flats and MRT will not be built, our buses will come to a standstill, our healthcare services will degrade, and many investors, including Singaporean ones, will uproot and go where talent is abundant. Instead of sacrificing just 1-2 percentage points of growth, our economy will shrink, and our quality of life decline. 11. But beyond just sustaining our quality of life, immigrants enrich our society. Immigrants inject a certain vitality and diversity to our society, adding vibrancy to our economy, and broadening our horizons in other fields like the arts, music, sports, and philanthropy. A commentary in Lianhe Zaobao last weekend observed that the influx of immigrants has already increased the vibrancy of the local arts and cultural scene and also introduced a wider range of cuisines to Singapore. 12. Opening our doors to immigrants and migrant workers is an emotive subject. It goes to the heart of what it means to be Singaporean. The government must take all views into account, and then persuade and win over Singaporeans. We will have to explain clearly and convincingly why Singapore is better off with immigrants. How do we remind Singaporeans that no more than a few generations ago, we were all immigrants? At the same time, how do we put Singaporeans first, and protect our cherished way of life? Are we bringing in too many, too quickly? As Singapore is the top choice for migrants, according to a recent Gallup Poll, can we be more selective? Is it possible to distinguish between those who are committed to Singapore and those who use Singapore as a stepping stone to other places? 13. We should also address what new immigrants can do to become more Singaporean. Conversely, what can each of us do to help the new immigrants integrate and be Singaporeans? How do we encourage the more successful immigrants to give back to Singapore society, in community service and/or donations to charity for example? 14. We will have to face up to the problems encountered by Singaporeans on the ground. Explaining in macro terms using overall statistics is not good enough. We have to deal with real situations faced by Singaporeans. 15. This immigration issue is a critical one, and we must bring Singaporeans on board to understand and support what we are doing. They must feel that they have a stake in the intake of immigrants and migrant workers, and see that these people, by bolstering our economy and demographic structure, make their lives better and not worse. Singapore is at a threshold. If we turn away immigrants, it will have dire long-term consequences for Singapore. If we have them in the right numbers and quality, it will boost our economic vitality. 16. It is not my intention tonight to open up another round of debate on this subject of immigration. Our more immediate priority is to ensure that our economy is set on the road to recovery, which is what the Economic Strategies Committee is actively deliberating. My intention is for us to quietly reflect on the critical importance of immigration to our long term future. It is a difficult issue confronting many societies. If Singapore can handle it better than others, we will have a considerable edge over the rest. 17. Finally, let me say that tonight's gathering is an example of a truly Singaporean event. It is Deepavali but we are celebrating it in a multi-racial way, with Indian, Malay and Chinese performances. 18. Have an enjoyable evening!
  15. http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Trans...106-178186.html Ours will declare ridership on public transport decrease without having first hand experience taking it during peak hrs....
  16. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_448334.html Oct 30, 2009 Singapore-style democracy Shanmugam cites US economist who sees the Republic as a challenge to time-tested models IN CHICAGO, Democratic mayors have won without interruption since 1931. In San Francisco, they have done so since 1964. And while Democrats have not monopolised the mayor's office in New York City, they have near-PAP dominance of the city council, where they hold 45 out of 48 occupied seats. 'But nobody questions whether there is a democracy in New York,' Law Minister K. Shanmugam said on Wednesday, referring to the frequent questioning of Singapore's democratic credentials given the 50-year dominance of the ruling People's Action Party. Drawing on arguments by American economist Bryan Caplan in a recent article, he said Singapore was viewed as a deviation from the democratic norm because it was seen primarily as a country. 'This is where most people make a mistake...I have tried to explain that we are different. We are a city. We are not a country,' he told 200 lawyers, many from America, at the New York State Bar Association International Section's meeting here. Mr M. N. Krishnamani, a panellist and president of the Supreme Court of India Bar Association, asked if it was true that with the ruling PAP in power for some decades now, the opposition was unable to survive or win cases in the courts.
  17. He is 86 yrs old. getting stronger and alert despite his age. MANY More good years for the citizens of singapore.
  18. Seet Ai Mee, Dr (b. 31 March 1943, Singapore -), became the first female cabinet minister in Singapore when she was named Acting Minister for Community Development, in a cabinet reshuffle in July 1991. However, she was also the first cabinet member to lose a parliamentary seat when she lost by a narrow margin to Ling How Doong of the Singapore Democratic Party in the 1991 general elections.
  19. Minister questions plans to separate conjoined twins Mon, Apr 20, 2009 The Straits Times by Judith Tan THREE of the four twins joined at the head who were separated in operations here are dead, and the fourth is not in good shape. Given this track record and the similarly dismal results overseas, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday suggested that doctors reconsider plans to separate yet another pair of such conjoined twins. Indian twins Vani and Veena, five, will go under the knife at East Shore Hospital in August if the medical team involved decides to proceed with the operation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three cases involving Singapore doctors Ganga and Jamuna Shrestha, Nepal The 11-month-old Siamese twins underwent a marathon 97-hour operation at the Singapore General Hospital in April 2001. Ganga, the weaker of the twins, died on July 29 last year from a severe chest infection. Ladan and Laleh Bijani, Iran More than 50 hours into the historic surgery at Raffles Hospital to separate them in July 2003, the sisters died from excessive blood loss - 90 minutes apart. Vani and Veena, India Neurosurgeon Keith Goh, who led the teams in the previous two operations to separate craniopagus conjoined twins here, has been asked to undertake the operation of separating the five-year-olds from Hyderabad.
  20. Chilli Sauce - http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews...231-111620.html >GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS 1. 2008 has been an eventful and challenging year. The world is entering the most serious economic crisis in sixty years. The global financial system has seized up, companies are finding it harder to obtain credit, and economies everywhere are slowing down. Europe and Japan have joined the US in a simultaneous recession. Asia too is seeing a sharp slowdown. 2. As a small, open economy, Singapore cannot avoid being hit. We earn our living by trading with and servicing the world. So the fall in worldwide demand has hit our exports, our tourism sector, and our broader economy. We have gone into a recession, though growth for the year as a whole is still positive at 1.5%. 3. The outlook is highly uncertain. At each stage of this crisis, events have turned out worse than the experts predicted. Governments everywhere have been implementing monetary and fiscal measures, rescuing troubled financial institutions and key corporations and pumping money into the economy. But no one is sure how the financial systems and economies will respond, or which policies will work. There is a loss of business and consumer confidence and, hence, one thing is certain: things cannot turn around overnight. Quite likely the global recession will be followed not by a quick rebound, but by several more years of slow growth. 4. We must therefore prepare for a difficult year ahead, and especially the first half of 2009. Our economy will probably contract further. More companies will be forced to downsize. So far we have not seen many job losses, but I expect more retrenchments in the next few months. We must be psychologically prepared. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO SAVE JOBS 5. The Government has responded promptly to this economic storm. Our key focus is jobs ? keeping people in jobs, helping workers who lose jobs find new ones, and retraining them with new skills. To do this, we have to help businesses ride over this rough period. So long as people have work, they can take care of themselves and their families. 6. We have already implemented two significant initiatives. The first initiative is the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR), which was jointly launched by the tripartite partners on 1 December. SPUR helps businesses pay for their staff training. The tripartite partners have reported good response. Already, more than 120 companies have come on board, which together will train more than 4,200 workers. 7. The second initiative is enhancing government financing programmes for companies. This is to ensure that basically sound firms, especially the smaller ones, can still obtain financing despite the tight credit climate, and so keep their operations going. We have also recently reduced interest rates and increased insurance premium subsidies under the schemes. These measures will benefit some 13,500 existing loans worth $550 million and an estimated $3 billion in new loans. 8. Apart from these two measures, we also lowered corporate taxes in 2008. New enterprises and smaller companies enjoy further tax exemptions, which mean that many pay little or no taxes. For households, the 2008 Budget package included Growth Dividends, U-SAVE, S&CC and Rental Rebates, and top-ups to Post-Secondary Education Accounts. These schemes are helping Singaporeans, particularly lower income families, to tide over the difficult period. 9. Our next major move will be the 2009 Budget, which we have brought forward to January. The emphasis is still to protect jobs. We will do more to help viable companies to stay afloat and continue to employ their workers. We will introduce measures to help them with their business costs, including rental and wage bills. We are also studying further financing support for companies. 10. Compared to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, this crisis is more difficult for us to overcome because it is global. Still, it will not last forever. After a few years, conditions will go back to normal, though we cannot expect a quick return to the boom years before the crisis. Meanwhile, a world in recession is not a world without opportunities. In the midst of the storm, we must keep pursuing new growth chances, and look beyond the immediate problems to ensure that Singapore emerges stronger after the downturn. Hence, the Budget will also contain measures to develop our competitiveness and build up new and long term capabilities. Some businesses may not recover from the slump in global demand, but most should survive. We will help them to build up their operations, and also encourage new businesses to grow, so that there will always be good jobs for Singaporeans. 11. The Budget package will not restore our economy to high growth overnight. But our measures will moderate the impact on Singaporeans, and on our economy. We will continue to monitor closely how events unfold. If more measures become necessary, we have the resources, and the will, to do more to see Singapore through this recession. MEETING THE CRISIS AS ONE NATION 12. However, Government help alone will not solve the problem. Every one of us has a part to play. Companies should work with the unions to find ways to cut costs, and consider downsizing only as a last resort. During a downturn, businesses should try hard to keep their core team together, to hold on to their critical knowledge and skills. They should also take advantage of this slack period and the available schemes to build new and better capabilities. Such a far-sighted approach will pay off when the upturn comes. 13. On their part, workers should go for upgrading and pick up new skills. There are still many good jobs even now. Singapore has attracted exceptionally high investment commitments in the last two years. For 2009, EDB forecasts that investment commitments will be lower, but could still exceed $10 billion. When these projects are completed they will create many new jobs. 14. In addition, sectors like construction and marine which have not been popular with Singaporeans still offer many jobs. There are also vacancies in the service industry, such as in healthcare and education, the IRs and retail trade, and in the Home Team and security. There are jobs not only for the rank and file, but also supervisory and technical positions for professionals, managers and executives. If you are job hunting, I hope you will venture beyond your comfort zone to take up these available jobs, even if they are not your first choice. - The IR will have lotsa job oppties 15. In this difficult period, families must bind together, as Asian societies have always done in times of trouble. We must all fulfil our duties to our parents, our spouses and our children. In particular, we must safeguard our children's future. Parents must ensure that children continue to attend kindergarten or childcare centre, and keep up their school attendance and school work. 16. Singaporeans must also take care of one another beyond our immediate families. Community and welfare organisations, as well as grassroots organisations all over the island, have expanded their schemes to help needy citizens - food hampers, Fairprice vouchers, bursaries, and pocket money for needy students. The Government will also continue to play its part, by helping the poor through ComCare. These efforts must be supported by all Singaporeans. If you are able to contribute, do volunteer your help. TACKLING SECURITY CHALLENGES 17. Besides the economic downturn, 2008 has also brought political instability and security threats to some countries in our region, making it harder for these countries to focus on their economic problems. 18. Extremist terrorism is a continuing threat. The recent terrible attacks in Mumbai were a vivid reminder of this. Singapore was not the target, but tragically a Singaporean, Ms Lo Hwei Yen, became a victim. We all mourn her loss. We must also understand what this incident means for our security, and how we can protect ourselves better from the threat of terrorism. 19. We are doing our utmost to prevent something like this from happening here. Our security and intelligence agencies monitor potential threats closely, and cooperate quietly with their counterparts in neighbouring countries. We are tightening up border security, and taking physical precautions at major events. Ordinary citizens can help in this too, by being on the alert and reporting anything suspicious. 20. But there is no 100% guarantee that we will never be hit. Therefore, we must strengthen our psychological resilience and our social cohesion, so that should an attack ever occur despite all our efforts, we can absorb the shock, pull together and recover from the blow. 21. Most importantly, extremist terrorism must not be allowed to undermine our racial and religious harmony. Singaporeans understand that terrorism is a threat to all of us. All religious groups have unequivocally condemned the Mumbai attacks. We need to work continuously to further strengthen this unity, trust and resilience. This is the purpose of the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) - to prepare ourselves to respond to any crisis not as individuals or different communities, but as one nation. CONCLUSION 22. Despite the storm clouds, we have good reasons to be quietly confident. Around the world, people recognise that Singapore started with precious little but built a prosperous and cohesive multi-racial nation through our ingenuity and effort. On my recent journeys abroad, I found everywhere a high regard for Singapore. Whether in Latin America, China or the Middle East, people admired what we have achieved, and were eager to learn from our experiences. I was asked many questions about how we tackle our problems, and in particular how we are responding to the crisis. They were confident that we would pull through and wanted to pick up ideas from us. Perhaps that is why the World Bank is setting up a World Bank-Singapore Urban Hub in Singapore, to share some of our experience and expertise with other developing countries. 23. Singapore's key strengths are our honest and capable leadership, sound policies which look beyond the short term, social cohesion and talented and hardworking people. These strengths have brought us peace, prosperity and progress for decades, and they will see us through these difficult times. When the environment was favourable, we upgraded and grew our economy, lived within our means and patiently built up sizeable reserves. So when this sudden, severe storm struck, we were ready. - DUNCH PLAY PLAY 24. Together, we will overcome this downturn, as we have overcome many previous ones, and emerge stronger from the experience. Together, we can meet the future with confidence. 25. I wish all Singaporeans a Happy New Year.
  21. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../363888/1/.html SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Raymond Lim has spoken against going for popular and quick fixes when seeking to address the concerns and anxieties of Singaporeans at times of economic stress, as these could worsen the underlying problems. Speaking at the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year Award event on Wednesday, he said the key is to find better ways to address these problems. He explained that helping those in need could be accomplished in ways other than to control prices and to keep out the competition. He said: "The government's approach is to provide targeted help to needy families to cope with these general cost pressures through measures such as Growth Dividends, GST Credits and Workfare Income Supplement. "Unlike wage and price controls, such measures do not lead to a fall in production and help raise the standard of living of low income workers without discouraging firms from hiring them." Mr Lim touched on the recent Parliament sitting, where he was asked whether the government could freeze Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) rates until the cost of living stabilised. However, he warned that if Singapore's roads are not priced correctly through the ERP, the overall costs to Singapore as a whole would go up and not down. These costs would be hidden in the form of time lost and extra fuel consumed being stuck in traffic. Mr Lim stressed that if Singapore froze the ERP rates, congestion on the roads would increase. This would not only affect individual motorists, who would spend more time in traffic, but all other road users like buses, taxis and commercial vehicles as well. Mr Lim is confident that Singapore will ride out the current economic difficulties. He said that is because the country has, through the years in good and bad times, steadfastly built a market economy that has the flexibility to absorb external shocks. - CNA/vm waaahahhahaa.......
  22. Where is Mas Selamat? 1) Singapore 2) Indonesia 3) I Don't Know Please add more
  23. Dear Chin Chai One 10Q you for your letter. On behalf of the Prime Minister, I am replying to your letter as follows. As the erected party of Singaporeans, we are here to serve. We are demon-cratic country, you are master, we gahmen servant, we serve you. You got problems we must help. You say no need our help? That means your not Singapore 's master. You say you run for cover? Cannot one, our police will find you. GST is to help the Gahmen to help yourself. The Gahmen Service Tax is everywhere, you go America also have one, cannot run one. Traffic very bad, so bad that we have to hold car racing at nite to avoid traffic jam. We believe there is no free lunch like PM's father say before, you use, you must pay, so Every Road Pay. So you see no ERP cannot one. Needless to say, passenger service also must pay. The increase in bus fare and MRT and taxi fare are very little already. We forsee world inflation coming: oil, steel, pay of foreign talents etc, so we have to pay for the service. You see, many foreign talents come to Singapore . If we don't pay our ministers well, they will go other countries to be their foreign talents. So must raise salary to keep them. If not, Nathan, Shanmugam, Bala etc will go India and work. Khaw will go Malaysia . etc etc. Must keep them. To keep them must pay well. You are right, any help also must pay. To help yourself? No, it's illegal. You mean you can build your own MRT? Run your own buses? Drive your Ba-Ong-Chia? Build your own roads? Seow liao!! Every one help himself then how? No social order lah! Ga ga ask for help, we are here to serve you. We understand some of you have temporary problem. Dont worry, it is only short term. We must look long term. We must invest long term. Now lose a bit dont cow beh cow boo, long term! Yes, remember. 30 or 50 years later we will own Swiss banks, US banks, UK properties, maybe even South Pole condominiums. We must tighten our seat belt and bite our false teeth. The future very bright. As long as you> continue to support the gahmen 30 to 50 years you will see bright future. So Chiang See Tong a bit lah. Also, investing is very complicated business, not easy. We must pay school fee to learn from advanced countries. On Selamat's case, we also must learn our lesson. We encourage life-long-learning. I learn whole life time, you learn whole life, Mr Wong Cant Sing also whole life learning. It's actually good. Mr Wong already apologise, dont force a dog to jump over the wall, the wall may collapse. Old dog cannot jump high also. Selamat's case gives us many lessons. We must be on alert, not too complacent. Now every Singaporean know there can be a terrorist among us any time. This is the best self defence education !! PM will give Mr Wong another salary increment for that. Also now we merge the prisons and detention centre, more space will be available now. We will build it like another IR, Integrated Retention - so those dont want our service and thinking of doing illegal service will go there. We will pass a new law too, the expenses for stay in that IR will be deducted from your CPF money. Remember we must be grateful to people who help us --> and pay. I hope I have explained the situation and give you the message clearly. If you still need help, please call my handphone: 99906767, it's toll-free. By the way, Mr Chin Chai One, our pioneer Toh Chin Chai already toh long ago. So if you choose to be Chin Chin Chai Chai, you will also Toh. 10Q you again, Reguards, Ah Beng Grassrude secretary
  24. Minister Mah says cutting petrol taxes not the way to cushion rising oil prices Posted: 21 June 2008 2024 hrs SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan has said the government cannot reduce petrol taxes despite the soaring oil prices. He warned against taking the subsidy route, noting that even countries like China and Malaysia have started to re-think their policies on this. Mr Mah was speaking on the sidelines of a community event on Saturday. As pump prices here continue to rise, some Singaporeans are wondering why the government is not stepping in to cushion the impact by cutting petrol taxes. The government has always maintained that petrol duty - currently about 40 cents for every litre - is meant to promote public transport and curb excessive use of cars. Mr Mah said: "If you price it wrongly, if you subsidise anything, people will tend to use it more or people will tend not to use it as efficiently as possible and that is going to raise the demand. Once you raise the demand, I think that is in turn going to cause prices to go up even higher." So instead of lowering taxes, Mr Mah said Singapore's strategy is to change habits and attitudes to cut down on energy consumption. "If you are a motorist, how do you cut down (energy consumption)? Reduce the number of trips, if possible. Car pool, if possible. Better still, take public transport," he said. Mr Mah was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a dialogue session with Tampines residents. To help reduce energy costs at the township level, he said, the Tampines Town Council is looking at replacing all lights in common areas with energy-saving ones. The chit-chat session was instituted two years ago as a way for Mr Mah, who is the Tampines Grassroots Organisation adviser, to meet residents in a more informal and smaller setting. Hence, a lot of municipal issues were raised, one of which was the issue of safety in the light of the recent spate of molest cases in the neighbourhood. To address this, Mr Mah said the town council will seriously look into installing CCTV cameras in blind spots and secluded areas around the neighbourhood. - CNA/ir Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../355547/1/.html
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