‘Leaders must be able to take criticism, acknowledge mistakes’: PM Lee

[jacky43]

Since the days of our founding fathers, the VIPs had accepted ideas from foreigners. Of course PR and new citizens too. True. Including companies where a born local with ideas and, rejected by his boss. Instead the PMET accepted stupid idea of FTs, just that this group of people said Trump is going to introduce it. I urge voters to remember this in two yrs times.

Adapt and growth need to educate the employers too.

[Christopher_26]

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Friday (May 18) that he is worried about the profits of SMRT and SBS Transit, which is why he wants to raise fares. The PAP Minister said that even if the train system is more unreliable, fares will still need to increase to "help" the two Temasek Holdings-linked companies:

"The Public Transport Council (PTC) had mulled over including rail reliability into the formula for calculating public transport fares, but ultimately decided against it. This was partly because reducing fares in the face of an unreliable rail system would mean withdrawing resources from the operators when they, in fact, need to inject more funds to fix the system. When a system is very unreliable, in fact, that is the time to pump in more resources. And because of that, you punish them through reduced fares; you are withdrawing resources from the operators and you'll be doing exactly the opposite, the wrong thing."

So by his logic, the more breakdowns we experienced, the higher the fare should be. If that is the case, why would the train operators be motivated to reduce breakdowns and improve reliability?

[nitecrawllerr]

Originally Posted by Christopher_26

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Friday (May 18) that he is worried about the profits of SMRT and SBS Transit, which is why he wants to raise fares. The PAP Minister said that even if the train system is more unreliable, fares will still need to increase to "help" the two Temasek Holdings-linked companies:

"The Public Transport Council (PTC) had mulled over including rail reliability into the formula for calculating public transport fares, but ultimately decided against it. This was partly because reducing fares in the face of an unreliable rail system would mean withdrawing resources from the operators when they, in fact, need to inject more funds to fix the system. When a system is very unreliable, in fact, that is the time to pump in more resources. And because of that, you punish them through reduced fares; you are withdrawing resources from the operators and you'll be doing exactly the opposite, the wrong thing."

So by his logic, the more breakdowns we experienced, the higher the fare should be. If that is the case, why would the train operators be motivated to reduce breakdowns and improve reliability?

Cow can openly said this and that cos hes confident 70% would still vote for the garment come next GE. Fares would still need to be raised, Gst raise etc etc. 70% would say Huat Aaaaah... So cant blame Cow.

[skyleon]

The Irony of Politicians Preaching Inequality and the Stigma of Public Transport and HDB Living


By Augustine Low -
May 19, 2018


In recent weeks, PM Lee Hsien Loong and his Ministers have been talking about the dangers of inequality and elitism.

Isn’t that most ironic, coming from the world’s highest paid politicians? The very people who make in one day what many families make in one month!

Do they know what it’s like to worry about unpaid bills, medical expenses, children’s education and the fear of retrenchment? Preaching is one thing, having empathy and solidarity as a result of experiencing day-to-day struggles is another.

PM Lee has also just said in Parliament that there is no stigma to taking public transport and living in HDB flats because it is shared experiences which gel the people.

The inescapable fact is, the majority of Singaporeans are accustomed to public transport and HDB living, so the sting of stigma is furthest from their minds.

The questions is: How many politicians and top officials take public transport and live in HDB flats? Are they the ones feeling the stigma and unwilling to put up with the inconvenience?

Let’s take Taipei’s Metro. It is certainly more reliable than our MRT system. So reliable that Singapore has sought the Taipei Metro’s help to review operations here.

The Taipei Metro is nationalised and majority-owned by the Taipei City government. The Metro boss is in effect Mayor Ko Wen-je, and guess what – he takes the train to and from work every day.

Thailand’s Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt also regularly takes the train, bus, motorcycle taxi and boat to work. He even urged his Ministry’s senior officials to ride a public bus at least once a week to find ways to improve the service.

In Singapore, how many top officials from SMRT, LTA and the Transport Ministry regularly take public transport? If it can be done elsewhere, why not in Singapore?



continue reading here : http://theindependent.sg/the-irony-o...nd-hdb-living/

[PawnSun]

Originally Posted by skyleon

Parliament: 4G leaders will listen to people's views, launch discussion series: Heng Swee Keat


The fourth generation leadership will listen to Singaporeans "with humility and respect", and launch a series of discussions with different groups of Singaporeans to seek their views, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced on May 18.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat pledged to reach out to Singaporeans at different stages of life.



Published 4 hours ago


Tham Yuen-C

Senior Political Correspondent


SINGAPORE - The fourth generation leadership will listen to Singaporeans "with humility and respect", and launch a series of discussions with different groups of Singaporeans to seek their views.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced this on Friday (May 18), wrapping up the debate on the President's Address with a call to partnership between Singaporeans and their leaders.

He pledged to reach out to Singaporeans at different stages of life - young Singaporeans, Gen X, Baby Boomers and Pioneers.

The 4G leadership will also engage different segments of society, such as workers, volunteer groups, and hobby groups, covering people of different occupations and people who have different interests and passions.

The aim is to give all Singaporeans a role to turn good ideas into actions, he said.

"We will partner Singaporeans each step of the way in our journey of building our future Singapore," he added.



continue reading here : https://www.straitstimes.com/politic...heng-swee-keat


Sure or not Mr Heng ? Or is this like another wayang show just like the select committee on Fake News .

Sure they listen, but no action taken .... left ear in, right ear out

[skyleon]

From hard-hitting criticisms to seductive talk?

Published on 2018-05-20 by The Online Citizen


by Han Lang

Less than a year ago, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said the comments made by then-Workers Party chief Low Thia Khiang on the Oxley Rise issue were "not unexpected", before adding: "This is what is called political sophistry." According to Collins dictionary, sophistry is the practice of using clever arguments that sound convincing but are in fact false.

During the election campaign in 2015, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean accused Mr Low of shedding crocodile tears over the stepping down of then-Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew. He said: "It’s very in character for Mr Low to squeeze the most political mileage out of anything. The reasons that Tuck Yew decided to step down are known to everyone."

In 2014, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took WP to task in Parliament over its constant shift in positions. Mr Lee said: "We have to call a spade a spade. If we have changed position and your previous position was wrong, say so. If you hold by your position, have your guts to reaffirm it and take the consequences. But to weasel away, play with words, avoid the issue and then claim to be responsible, that is what we fear can drive Singapore’s politics into the same place where many other countries have gone."

In another case of the ruling party questioning the integrity of the WP, the PAP wrote in one published forum letter: "A responsible opposition party should offer well thought-out, sustainable alternative policies, or at least serious critiques of what the government proposes. The WP has not done that. " It added: "No WP MP has ever introduced a Private Member’s Bill, unlike former NMP Walter Woon and PAP MP Christopher de Souza. Mr Low and his colleagues habitually show one face during elections and another in Parliament."

There are many other examples which I will not list here but the one common point is such that the People's Action Party has openly questioned if the WP is playing the role of an opposition party in a responsible way. Another way to interpret the PAP's comments may be that the WP are political opportunists who are not performing their role as responsible parliamentarians.


continue reading here : https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...eductive-talk/


Do not be fooled if they want to talk and listen to us . It is just another wayang show by them .

[skyleon]

“Frontrunners” for PM: Was there even a race to begin with?

Published on 2018-05-22 by The Online Citizen


by Han Lang

Given the fact that our students have consistently topped international education rankings, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests, it is baffling that our local mainstream media continues to "believe", genuinely or otherwise, that there are three "frontrunners" to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Let's look at the three "frontrunners" as declared by the media. Before that, anyone keen on this topic should first research and determine who was the first person to list Chan Chun Sing, Heng Swee Keat and Ong Ye Kung as the "frontrunners". That person attributes it to "political observers" but without naming these "political observers", we can draw our own conclusion on what exactly is the agenda for listing these three names.

Anyway, let's first look at Heng. Born in 1961, Heng is 57 this year. PM Lee is 66 this year and he has indicated two key points relating to succession. The first point is definitive: He will hand over power AFTER the next general election. In early January 2018, he said: "We know it’s a serious matter, a pressing issue, as the younger ministers have already said in their statement and they know my timetable, after next General Election – earlier rather than later – I would like to hand over to a successor."

Unlike the first, the second key point is vague: on him remaining as PM at the age of 70. At an interview six years ago, he was asked if he would still be the PM beyond age 70. He replied: "I hope not. Seventy is already a long time more. And Singapore needs a prime minister who is younger, who's got that energy, and who is in tune with that very much younger and very much different generation."

The next GE is likely to be held in 2020 and on the assumption that the ruling party secures another five-year term, it is realistic to expect that PM Lee will step down a year or two later - when he would be 69 or 70 years old.

Even if PM Lee steps down "earlier rather than later" - say in 2021, Heng will be 60 by then.

For a political party which constantly prides itself on leadership renewal and in bringing in 'top talents' every five years, would it make political sense for a 69-year-old to hand over power to a 60-year-old?

So, how realistic are the chances of Singaporeans greeting the next leader as PM Heng?

Let's then look at Ong who will turn 49 this year. At the age of 52 in 2021, he would be "adhering" to the recent "age-range" of PAP's second and third PMs. PM Lee took over at this age while his predecessor assumed power at 49.


continue reading here : https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...to-begin-with/


Somebody will volunteer to be the next Singapore PM if the current PM can't make up his mind. Just another wayang show . Talk about leadership renewal .

[skyleon]

Ng Chee Meng elected NTUC secretary-general


22 May 2018 06:00PM (Updated: 22 May 2018 09:53PM)


SINGAPORE: Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Ng Chee Meng will be the new Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the union said on Tuesday (May 22).

The committee unanimously on Tuesday elected Mr Ng, formerly the deputy secretary-general, as NTUC Secretary-General, a move that has been anticipated for some time.

Mr Ng, 49, was appointed deputy secretary-general and co-opted into the NTUC central committee on Apr 23.

"From May 1, he served the labour movement full time after relinquishing his appointments as Minister for Education (Schools) and Second Minister for Transport," NTUC said.


Mr Ng said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that NTUC will continue to strengthen the labour movement and work closely with its tripartite partners to build on the foundation laid by former labour chiefs.

NTUC said that its central committee has accepted former labour chief Chan Chun Sing's resignation and it takes effect on Tuesday. Mr Chan is the Minister for Trade and Industry, a portfolio he took up on May 1 following a Cabinet reshuffle.

He led NTUC for three years before stepping down.

Mr Chan, 48, said in his resignation letter that his work in the Ministry of Trade and Industry will be an extension of the work in NTUC.

"The labour movement will always have in me - a friend, a partner, and a supporter," he wrote.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...-sing-10257504


Another ex-general replaces another ex-general . So now NTUC becomes a subsidiary of the PAP .

[skyleon]

PM Lee expects next PM to emerge before next General Election in 2021

Here's a Loong summary.

By Jeanette Tan | 14 hours


Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at length about a number of issues during the debate on the President’s Address in Parliament last week.

He made a mention of the issues that were to be of top priority for him and his freshly-reshuffled Cabinet.

Though PM Lee mentioned that the fourth-generation leaders prepared President Halimah’s speech, he spoke significantly at length about his thinking with regard to who his successor will be.

But let’s break it down for you first:


1. Agenda and advice for new generation of leadership

PM Lee began by setting the list of tasks on the agenda for his younger leaders now in office:

– To keep growing and reinventing our economy,
– To preserve our meritocracy, justice and fairness as a society, and
– To hold Singaporeans together in one cohesive society.

Warning that just like with previous generations of leaders, the successors will have to realise that the electorate, economic landscape and international order of things will be different, and so will need to adopt a new approach in governing the nation.

He cautions that “some hard truths will always remain” for Singapore, but has the following advice for the new leaders:

– To keep an open mind and make decisions with both the head and the heart
– To remember, but not be trapped by, our history
– And to generate new ideas, bonds and connections.


2. PAP does not have monopoly of power or indefinite right to rule S’pore

PM Lee related the details of the conversation he had with former Workers’ Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang at Parliament House that gave rise to this photo:

PM Lee said he had observed the fact that the WP had just completed its leadership transition — with Low handing the reins to new secretary-general Pritam Singh — and asked Low what changes are to be expected.


continue reading here : https://mothership.sg/2018/05/pm-lee...4g-leadership/


Still haven't decide on who will be the next Singapore PM ??? Talk about leadership renewal . Maybe someone will volunteer to be the next PM .

[skyleon]

Here’s what PM Lee said the last time GST was raised from 5% to 7%

Aging population and income inequality were the reasons why GST was last raised.

By Jonathan Lim | 15 hours



When asked about Singapore’s impending GST increase to a 9 percent rate just as Malaysia is scrapping its 6 percent GST, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told reporters on May 19:

“We have given a lot of notice. There is time to explain, and there is time to work out how exactly we will make sure that Singaporeans are given the right support in order to be able to live with a new tax… It is something which we are taking very seriously indeed.”

On explaining the hike, he said:


“You have to work very hard to make sure you have a very good case to be able to explain to voters why you are doing this, what you are using the money for and to persuade them that you know what you are doing and they can trust you. Then you must implement it well to make sure that it goes in smoothly. That the burden is carried fairly.”

2006: Last time PM Lee announced GST would be raised

It was in November 2006 when PM Lee gave a speech in Parliament following the President’s Address to talk about inequality.

He talked about Singapore’s aging population and widening income gap. He said that by 2020, the median working age would be 40 and there would be 575,000 elderly persons (age 65 and above) and five working adults will support one elderly person. In contrast, in 2005, there were 291,000 elderly persons and nine working adults would support one elderly person.

He said then that these were problems that needed to be addressed and resources were needed:

If we do more for the lower-income and the elderly who are needy and also invest more for their future, then government spending has to go up. There is no other way. We have kept this government lean and trim. The government spends only 14 percent to 15 percent of the GDP, i.e. $1 in $7 approximately. This is lower than virtually any other country in the world. The Europeans, as I told you, spend more than half their GDP. We are even lower than Hong Kong, which spends 18 percent to 19 percent of its GDP. So Singaporeans are really having a very cheap Government — high quality but cheap government. But we will have to spend more. I think this is inevitable over the next five to 10 years.

Before he announced the raising of GST to meet needs, he made another announcement: That they would draw more money from Singapore’s Net Investment Income (NII) by including realised capital gains. Originally the government only drew money from investment dividends and interests:


Under the Constitution, the government can spend up to 50 percent of Net Investment Income (NII) on past reserves, and 50 percent of Net Investment Income has to be kept for the future. I believe this is the right formula. It is a fair balance between the claims of the present and the future generations, and will protect our reserves, our seed corn, from being depleted. But we can refine the implementation of this 50 percent rule because, currently, the definition of Net Investment Income only includes dividends and interest. This is not quite right, because a significant part of the returns on our reserves are capital gains. We should look at total returns on the reserves as the basis for deciding how much it has grown. Therefore, we intend to change the definition of Net Investment Income to include realised capital gains. This will increase the amount which we can draw on average. Some years, if the markets are bad, we may end up with less but, on average, we should end up with more. To do this, we need to amend the Constitution. We will amend the Constitution and work out the details with the Elected President.


continue reading here : https://mothership.sg/2018/05/prime-...-gst-increase/

[NotMyPresident]

Originally Posted by PawnSun

Sure they listen, but no action taken .... left ear in, right ear out

All just for show only . They already made all the important decisions without discussing with us . Even they get feedback from us they will still proceed and implement .

[BigSalsa]

Originally Posted by NotMyPresident

All just for show only . They already made all the important decisions without discussing with us . Even they get feedback from us they will still proceed and implement .

World class wayang parliament

[skyleon]

Imposing parking fees on teachers is about Government's 'self-discipline': Ong Ye Kung


By Cynthia Choo


Education Minister Ong Ye Kung (left) and Marine Parade GRC Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng (right).
TODAY file photo and Parliament screengrab

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung (left) and Marine Parade GRC Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng (right).


Published 25 May, 2018

Updated 25 May, 2018



SINGAPORE — The decision to impose parking fees on teachers at all schools stems from the Government's duty to abide by a "system of internal self-discipline", said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (May 25).

"Charging for parking, therefore, is primarily a decision borne out of duty. But this duty does not diminish our appreciation of teachers and educators," Mr Ong wrote on Facebook.

Free parking for teachers was pointed out by the Auditor General's Office (AGO) in 2015 as going against the civil service's clean wage policy. The AGO's report stated that free parking in education institutions was "tantamount to hidden subsidies" beyond a staff's salary.

The AGO's finding "went against years of Ministry of Education (MOE) practice", Mr Ong noted in his Facebook post.

"Yet we have to respect our internal system of checks and balances. We cannot pick and choose which finding to address or comply with — we take them all seriously," said Mr Ong. "This is about upholding the value of self-discipline."

He was responding to a speech made last week by Marine Parade GRC Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng on the final day of the debate on the President's Address.


continue reading here : https://www.todayonline.com/singapor...ne-ong-ye-kung


So to the teachers do you still want to vote for PAP ?

[jacky43]

Created by our founding fathers. The 3 pillars. Education, employment and self employed. I ranked them.

Self employed as the most easy to manage by the VIPs. We being seeing alot of Robert Yap, the boss of YCH logistics. He take instructions from the VIPs in hiring employees. I have no %. I guess 5 staffs only one is born local. Two FTs and one PR and new citizens. With bosses before Robert's times and I recalled back into the 90s. The boss of JIT went into debt 10 yrs later.

Education in openning child care and, pre schools to cater to PR and new citizens. MOE said it is moving away from results might take away PSLE in yrs to come. Ok! It made this PR and new citizens happy liked fuck! They lose out many yrs from now.

Office politics is the most difficult to handle. Back into the 70s they created Ah fat and ah thin to Ah boy to man. Of course the characters in The Noose, not to forget SPG who worships white boys. We born locals hit back, and we decide to write the next chapter of this country. If Lim did not step down he could lost a GRC.

May the soul of our founding fathers gave us the courage to do the correct things. The strength to cross the correct party.

[jacky43]

The word founding fathers is taken from "The Purge". For me this is the only important thing in the two movies. The story is nonsense. And the producers blame guns control that I have no idea.