HDB Price War

http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/12/26/the-scapegoat-for-rising-housing-prices-and-other-inconvenient-realities/

Santa with PM

like talking to dead people

Cooling measures for HDB

Flabby old chap

Government fund

Our MRT train

Drew this a few months back, I think the train system is still the same during peak hours.

Million dollar answer

Cabinet restructuring

Taken from National day rally speech 2010

There are many pieces to this story of immigration and foreign workers and talent and competition and so on and we need to draw all these threads together to manage them holistically and make sure that Singaporeans benefit and the impact of these policies is well-managed. We do not have a ministry to do this, but we will set up a Population and Talent Division in the Prime Minister’s Office. It is like Public Service Division, PSD, which is also in the Prime Minister’s Office with a Permanent Secretary at the ministry level. PMO will cover it, but I will delegate this and the minister in charge of the Population and Talent Division will be Mr Wong Kan Seng and he will coordinate the work of Home Affairs, of MOM, of MTI, of MCYS and make sure that all our policies stick together and the implementation works out well and everything runs okay.

Just a funny thought

Had this funny thought in my mind. Maybe the SPF will come up with something like this.

Minimum wage not possible lah.

We are the 4th richest in the WORLD!!!

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_588606.html

Have been rather busy this few weeks trying to finish off some work. Found it really amusing after reading this article on straits times. What are they trying to tell Singaporean with the article, that they are really rich and stop complaining?
Come on, my bank account stays the same... hummm maybe a small minority are REALLY REALLY rich in Singapore.

Singaporean and minimum wage

Looks like minimum wage will not be happening anytime soon in Singapore. The lower income group in Singapore will have to keep training and upgrade themselves to keep moving forward and hope that the rising cost of living will not make their wage increment illusional.

HDB bubble

The HDB price is ever rising and it has been a major concern for young Singaporean eager to own a home. Will the new policies in place be able to stop the HDB bubble? I like to cartoon "UP" by pixar whereby the old man flew away in his house on balloons to pursue his dream.

I hope you like the artwork here.

National Day Rally.

Some people get the water and some don't. But, everybody must take the pills.

Best Springboard in the world

We must remain open to foreigner, cannot be avoided if we want to continue to grow. I am sure there are those who are sincere to stay and integrate into Singapore and those who are just using Singapore as a springboard to go further. No way we can tell.

YOG

Happy National Day

The Lion City

I am now in FaceBook

Dear viewers, I will be now posting mostly in facebook to capture the larger audience there.

I have created the above link to make it easier for you to add me in your facebook account.

Have a great week and Happy National Day to all Singaporean!!!

Wage increment

WORKERS can look forward to higher wage increments this year, but labour chief Lim Swee Say cautioned yesterday against reverting to a rigid wage system when this happens.
He did not speculate on the quantum but said workers could expect to be rewarded 'fairly', given the strong rebound and tight labour market.
'But in the process, we have to make sure that we do not make our wage system rigid,' he said on the sidelines of a conference on service excellence.
'We must continue to spread our total wage increase into three baskets: the fixed increase, monthly variable as well as the annual variable. In this way, we reward workers based on their contribution and performance, yet at the same time, get ready for the next rainy day that may happen some time in the future.'
With the economy's rebound, analysts and unionists contacted previously said workers could expect increases of between 3 per cent and 5 per cent this year.
Mr Lim noted that with the rebound and strong demand, employees in some sectors were also having to work harder.
-Strait Times 23/7/2010

I like Mr Lim Swee Say, he has a lot of humour. But a lot of time, people use this humor back on him.

New Fare Hike

COMMUTERS complaining about the new distance-based fares for buses and trains have been urged by Second Minister for Transport Lim Hwee Hua to think again.
Instead of looking at the extra sum they are paying for each trip, Mrs Lim called on them to examine their overall travel pattern in a week.
She also advised them to take the longer-term view, pointing out that more MRT lines are being built and bus routes amended 'to provide maximum choice and flexibility for commuters'.
'In due course, with more choices to come, I'm sure they will benefit as well,' she said at a dialogue with Bukit Gombak residents on Sunday, after a ministerial walkabout.
Under the new fare system introduced about a week ago, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) estimates that one-third of commuters will pay 31 cents more a week on average, while two-thirds will save 48 cents.
At the dialogue, a resident pointed out most commuters on a short journey to work are paying more. It prompted Mrs Lim, who is also Second Minister for Finance, to reiterate why the Government introduced distance-based fares. It is to have a fairer system where passengers are not penalised for transferring to a bus or train.

-Strait times.

Our Small Prosperous Island

".... so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation". Apparently, the Singapore Pledge places happiness before prosperity, and prosperity before progress. To achieve true and stable progression, we need to create prosperity. In acheiving prosperity, the people must remain as a happy lot. The Government has done a tremendously good job so far, in my opinion. Moving on to seek prosperity and progression, let us keep an eye on the "happiness index"! (ECG 2010)

Tai Chi Master

MM forcasting the Sand performance

MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was welcomed by the chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Mr Sheldon Adelson at his first official visit to the Marina Bay Sands on Tuesday.
Touring the interior of the building, including a visit to the casino, MM Lee expressed his concerns over the success of the integrated resort.
"It's a very big project. When it's all filled up, it will increase our tourist trade and the people who come here multifold. That's quite a job to do in a couple of years so I think this will take 3 to 7 years to reach capacity. The word has got to spread and it can't spread just in one news conference or display. People have to come here, enjoy and bring more in." said Minister Mentor Lee.
Mr Adelson though, challenged MM Lee's forecast.
"I think Minister Mentor Lee is too pessimistic. I think we'll be up and running in full speed by 2011. A property like this has to ramp and it will normally take a year to ramp." said Mr Sheldon G Adelson. - Strait Times

Flooding in Orchard

Town Council Management Report 2010

Singtel and Starhub face angry football fans.

HERE'S the score. Going by the figures on two Facebook groups, the number of people boycotting World Cup packages from the two telcos here has gone up.
One group, called Mass Boycott StarHub/SingTel Overpriced World Cup Package,has more than 25,000 members, up from more than 12,000 on May 14.
Said Mr John Chua who created the group: 'Looking at the prices, why did other countries, which also negotiated with Fifa, end up with free World Cup packages, such as England, Australia and Indonesia? Or charge much cheaper - like India at $7 or Japan at $10?' noted Mr Chua who did not want to reveal more about himself.
Another Facebook group is called Boycott Fifa World Cup 2010 Subscription in Singapore. It has drawn 'likes' (meaning approval of the group) from almost 400 people so far.
It was announced earlier that existing subscribers of StarHub and mioTV, who signed up before May 31, would pay $70.62 ($66 plus GST).
After the early-bird offer lapses, the cost is $94.16 ($88 plus GST). The broadcast rights were clinched jointly by the two telcos 35 days before the tournament starts on June 11. Strait Times 29 March 2010

I wonder if the government will step in on this one if things get out of hand.

GDP Pie

Interesting article (here) recommended by a good friend of mine.

Confidence, wages going up

A survey by American Express and CFO Research Services of finance executives found companies in Singapore are looking to boost spending in areas such as advertising, manpower, information technology and business travel.
A WAVE of optimism has swept through Singapore, according to a slew of new surveys out yesterday which indicated that confidence is riding high among both companies and consumers.
Businesses here are set to raise spending, and with it the salaries and bonuses of their staff, while consumers are as confident as they were before the global recession hit in 2008.
A Hay Group poll has forecast salary rises of 3.2 per cent on average here this year, two-thirds more than last year, and higher bonuses of an average of 2.5 months, compared with 2.1 months last year.
A survey by American Express and CFO Research Services of finance executives found companies in Singapore are looking to boost spending in areas such as advertising, manpower, information technology and business travel.
And a MasterCard consumer confidence survey showed consumer optimism is at its highest level in the past decade.
'Companies have moved from simply surviving the present to investing in growth for the future,' said Mr Andi Budd, American Express vice-president and general manager, Global Client Group, Global Commercial Card, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Australia.
Strait Times 20/5/2010

Best infrastructure..attracts top talent?

SINGAPORE: Singapore is seizing the opportunity to position itself as a Home for Talent to drive business and innovation.
Helping to spearhead this towards becoming a global talent hub is the new Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI).
The new institute's governing body is chaired by entrepreneur Sunny Verghese.
The economy is recovering but the war is not over. The battle now is for the best talent to grow the business pie, said Singapore's Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong .
Launching the new Human Capital Leadership Institute with its chairman Sunny Verghese, Mr Gan stressed this means ensuring that Singapore has the hardware and software to grow "talent centres of excellence".
Mr Gan said: "This will then encourage more innovation for businesses in Singapore and across Asia. We will also provide companies with a supportive and holistic environment to nurture these talents into future leaders.
“Top local talents will want to remain in Singapore and global talents will want to come here because we have the best educational infrastructures to help them develop their leadership competencies and further their careers.
“Global companies will also invest and set up operations in Singapore because of the availability of a deep talent pool. Together with our strategic geographical location, unique multi-cultural attributes and world-class infrastructure, we believe Singapore is well-positioned to become this Home for Talent in the heart of Asia.
“Employers will hire only the best candidates with the right skills and attributes. The workforce needs to upgrade its skills and knowledge in order to remain competitive and marketable.
“Therefore, a key thrust of Singapore's economic growth strategy going forward is to enhance workforce capabilities by focusing on skills, innovation and productivity. To achieve this, we need to help companies develop progressive talent management and leadership capabilities."
That's where the Human Capital Leadership Institute will play a pivotal role.
It will offer the best-in-class executive education. CHANNEL NEWS ASIA 10/5/2010

Reform Party and Singapore Democratic Alliance?

Old folks in S'pore an asset

COMPARED with old folk in other Asian states, the elderly in Singapore are contributing both practically and financially to their families, according to a 2008 global ageing study by Oxford University. Unfortunately, they also get less support of the same kind from their children and grandchildren.

Said British gerontologist Sarah Harper, one of the researchers behind the study: 'We have this idea that older people are a burden on our society but that's because we tend to look at it through our tax system, that they are not in work.'

This is far from the truth, because the study showed that older people still made significant contributions towards their loved ones at home, she said on Thursday, in presenting the study at a conference by the International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes.

Around 1,000 seniors each from various countries worldwide were asked if they had given financial and practical support to their family members over a six-month period. The study also asked respondents - aged above 55 - if their children or grandchildren had done the same for them.

The results showed that older folks in Singapore were giving more help to their children and grandchildren than the other way around.

Twelve per cent of Singaporean respondents said they offered support such as shopping for groceries, or helping their children clean the house.

Straits Times 30/4/2010

Trans Safe Cente for elderly abuse

Elderly folk facing abuse now have a one-stop service centre where they can seek help.
Trans Safe Centre was officially opened yesterday by the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
The family service centre is dedicated to the prevention of family violence and elder protection.
The facility in Bedok North is the first one-stop point in Singapore for elderly abuse cases.
Its services include counselling, referrals and mediation.
The Trans Safe Centre has its roots in the Stop Abuse in Families (Safe) programme that began at Trans Centre - now known as Trans Family Services - in 2000 as a spousal violence programme.
Straits Times

Went on holiday

Was away on holiday to Hatyai for the Songkran water festival. Took a coach all the way up to Thailand and back until my kacheng pit...but lots of fun.
My apologies to viewers for the late delay in updating my blog. Thanks for the support!

5 to 10 million a lot of money leh...

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) could be losing as much as $10 million a day because of airport closures in Europe, according to estimations by aviation analysts.

A key carrier operating about 25 flights a day in the Asia-Europe air travel market, SIA has had to cancel flights since Thursday to and from destinations including London and Paris after a giant ash cloud made much of Europe's airspace unusable.

Mr Shukor Yusof of Standard & Poor's Equity Research said: 'A conservative estimate is $5 million to $10 million loss a day for SIA.

'Aircraft sitting on the tarmac instead of being in the air is revenue down the drain for the airline.'

The airport closures also mean SIA is not taking new bookings for now, which has an impact on revenue as well, and quite a big one, he said, given that the airline operates its superjumbo Airbus 380 aircraft to London, Paris and Zurich, some of its most popular routes.

SIA is also paying for hotel accommodation and meals for transit passengers stuck in Singapore.

Strait times 21/4/2010

Why HDB prices must keep going up

Our Pigeon Hole

You'll never fool the seller in this case.

ps. I know pigeons dun fly to new zealand but heh the doors are open now.

10 million community integration fund for FT

It will be good if my mother who is chinese educated can be given the chance to learn English for free. Why not include these Singaporean who has no chance to have an english education in their earlier life a chance now to benefit from the programme. At least they can make friends with the FT during the class...which may help them to integrate better.

CPF - Children Provident Fund

ELDERLY impoverished parents who are financially abandoned by their children may soon get better legal protection.

MP Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) yesterday accepted Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's suggestion to table a Private Member's Bill to amend and give more teeth to the Maintenance of Parents Act.

The Act enables elderly parents to approach a legal tribunal for help if their children refuse to support them financially. The legislation was first tabled in 1994 as a Private Member's Bill by then Nominated MP Walter Woon, who is now the Attorney-General.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of parents filing applications with the tribunal in recent years. There were nearly 200 such cases last year, up from 109 in 2007.

This led Mr Seah and Mr Wee Siew Kim (Ang Mo Kio GRC) to call for more measures. Mr Seah, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Community Development, Youth and Sports, said like many MPs, he has come across cases of old folk abandoned by children and 'left largely to fend for themselves'.

As a principle, social assistance should be given only if the children do not have the financial ability to support their parents, and he suggested the Commissioner heading the tribunal be given more powers to obtain data on the whereabouts and financial status of the children, particularly since some of those parents who approached the tribunal said they had lost touch with their children. -Strait Times

Speaking with my friend from Australia who is a mother of 2, she is surprise to know that such a law exist in modern Singapore. It is a good culture we have in asia that the children should take care of their elderly parents and it is the social norm to do so. In Australia for example, everyone is expected to be financially independent at a certain stage in life, both parents and children. If that is not possible, the government will step in to assist. This is the social norm. Children are not legally bound to provide for their parents. They can of course if they want to but usually they do not have to because financial aids are given by the governemnt. Singapore government must be glad that such a law can be implemented - a reinforcement of traditional views, filial piety or using it as a hidden social security system? you decide.

What are they discussing in Parliament?

Hoax from the states

Well...some people are celebrating, some people are angry and some people are neutral. Will MM please come out and say a few words please.
Hummmm..wonder where he is?

Jack Neo Confession

JACK Neo, Singapore's most successful film-maker, has confessed to a two-year affair with a freelance model less than half his age after the young woman exposed it by showing up at his Pasir Ris semi-detached home.

Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao said Miss Wendy Chong, 22, was upset that Neo, 50, had apparently lied to her and demanded to see his wife on Friday. Neo met Chong when she got a bit role as a nurse in his movie, Money No Enough 2, two years ago, and has a meatier role as Mark Lee's sister-in-law in his latest film, Being Human, which opened on Thursday, said The New Paper on Sunday.

The 1.63m tall model said Neo took her on trips overseas, including Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. 'I would go shopping while he work. After he finished his work, we would meet up and enjoy our time together,' she told TNP on Sunday.

Lianhe Wanbao said she had tried calling Jack several times on Friday but he did not answer her calls. She then went to Jack's home at about 3 pm and waited till he returned home. She told him she wanted to go in and talk to his wife, Madam Irene Kng, 46. To her surprise, Neo let her into the house and called his wife to come downstairs.

Chong said Madam Kng's reaction to her husband's affair shocked her. 'She asked me, 'What do you want?' She said that she did not care about who Jack involved with as she was content that she loved him.' The three of them later left for a meeting in a restaurant at Changi Airport's Crowne Plaza Hotel in a car driven by Madam Kng.

Jack admitted to Lianhe Wanbao that he was at fault, adding that he felt terrible but had been unable to end the affair as Chong had threatened to harm herself, and that he was worried that his wife could not forgive him.

In a surprising revelation, Madam Kng said she had known about the affair for a year but she chose to 'close one eye' and did not confront her husband. -- LIANHE WANBAO

Dear Readers

Dear readers, I hope you have enjoyed the political cartoons that I have drawn over the last few weeks. My blog has humbly crossed 10,000 views in a about a month. Thank you for your support.

In order to generate more interest, interactivity and viewership, I am writing to all of you readers out there to tell me what you would like to see in future political cartoons in this blog. You can either leave your comment here or send me an email (soontcb@gmail.com) if you want to express something on a more private level eg. an idea of what to draw. I will put your name in as a credit if your idea materialized into one of my work.

I am open to all suggestions from either side of our unique political system. Either you are a firm supporter of the PAP or the opposition parties, I will consider all comment or ideas you have. However, I do not guarantee that I will use all ideas put forward. Got OB marker to watch as well in some cases.

Thank you all once again for visiting my blog.


BenSoon

Malaysia Hospital for SIngaporean

PATIENTS who want to use Medisave to pay for private care abroad will be able to do so at 12 hospitals and medical centres in Malaysia from next month.
The facilities, owned by two Singapore health-care groups, offer care which could cost as little as half what it does here.
Patients who opt for the Malaysian hospitals must be referred by the Singapore groups' centres first. They can use money from their Medisave accounts only for day surgery or in-hospital admissions, subject to the same withdrawal limits as in Singapore.
The move, nearly a year in the making, gives Singaporeans, permanent residents and their immediate families more choice in where to receive in-patient and day surgery treatments.
The two groups are Health Management International (HMI), whose referral centre is its clinic in Balestier, and Parkway Holdings, whose referral centre is East Shore Hospital.
The ministry felt that having local partners would give an assurance of quality and prevent abuse, such as claims for unnecessary treatments, or bogus claims. -Strait times

Market flooding soon.

This piece of work is trying to cover some of the recent issues arising from the foreign talent problem in Singapore. The liberal immigration policy in Singapore is the broken tap which is the problem faced by the worker holding the tool. I added the rubber ducky to use as a relationship to express how Mr Tharman emphasized FT as being critical to Singapore and help raise our salary.
Mr Wong Kan Seng in the background ensuring that the water is of good quality but he is only looking at those in the glass and ignoring the rest around him.
Mr Lim holding the frog... you think leh. read here.
Hope you guys like this one. - Ben Soon

Transforming Singapore Economy

I have a special suggestion from a good friend to draw something regarding the 8.8% increase in ministerial pay. Was brain storming about the cartoon when Temasek Review came up with the report on what SM Goh said.

Dare to face the truth.

FORMER Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu is unlikely to return to Singapore for a coroner's inquiry into the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai, which begins on Wednesday.

In his first comments to the Singapore media since leaving the country on Dec 18, three days after Mr Tong was killed in a hit-and-run accident involving a Romanian Embassy car in Bukit Panjang, Dr Ionescu said his failing health was the main reason he may not return.

He claimed that he could die as a result of his illness, believed to be diabetes.

Dr Ionescu also said reports that police investigations showed he had been the driver of the car factored into his decision.

But he firmly denied having anything to do with the accident that killed Mr Tong, or another later that day that left two people injured.

The Romanian has been at the centre of a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent weeks. Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) summoned his country's ambassador to the Republic two weeks ago to request that Dr Ionescu be asked to attend the coroner's inquiry. -Strait Times 26 Feb

We are uniquely Singapore

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, the Government does not assign race to a person but follows the general rule that a child's race would follow that of his or her father. Nevertheless, recognising that the diversity of Singapore's racial demographics has increased in recent years due to the inflow of immigrants and the rise in the number of locals marrying foreigners, with effect from 2nd January this year, our birth registration forms were revised to provide for declaration by the parents on their child's race during birth registration.

Previously, such a child would be registered following the general rule as having the race of the father. The recent change gives parents who are of different races the flexibility and choice to decide how their child's race should be recorded. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is not the authority or expert on "race". It will accept a race declaration so long as it falls within generally accepted notions of ethnicity by lineage. For example, a Caucasian-Chinese couple may decide to have their child's race recorded as Caucasian, Chinese or Eurasian.


In fact, the Singapore birth certificate gazetted under the Registration of Births and Death Rules does not require a child's race to be recorded. The child's race is recorded provisionally at birth registration in ICA's system until the child turns 15 and is required to register for an identity card. At this point in time, registration of the identity card will entail a registration of race declared and this will then be used to update the existing record of the individual in the ICA system. Changes of race declaration can also be made at any time by the parents or by the child himself when he is no longer a minor.

In short, the system, especially with the recent changes, already provides for an appropriate level of flexibility and choice to parents who are of different races. Ultimately, however, parents who are of different races should come to a decision as to which of their races they would like their child to be recorded as belonging to. -Extract from Parliament publications

Feasible Budget 2010

Well, some Singaporeans feel that the budget is not helping them directly because most suggestions are for improving productivity and skill of workers. The benefits from these improvement will take time to happen maybe in the next 2 to 3 years. Well, I do not really know how all these will trickle down eventually to the average Singporean on the street. What do you think?

Singapore govt is betting on....

LTA has already gotten Jackpot