After 27 years on the run, the law caught up with him
TODAY Nov 29, 2011
SINGAPORE - Over the past two decades, Lee Hong Mun involved himself in charitable acts, such as providing free haircuts and spiritual advice through his dual trade as a barber and a medium.
The law, however, caught up with the 57-year-old, who had been on the run for the past 27 years over a fatal slashing incident.
In the High Court yesterday, Lee was convicted and jailed seven years for manslaughter.
The incident took place in November 1983, when Lee and his childhood friend, Chan Whye Keong, fought with stall assistant Ng Tian Soo over a mahjong debt.
Court papers showed that Mr Ng had owed money belonging to one of Chan's friends and that Lee was roped in to help to recover the debt. Lee had used a kitchen knife to slash Mr Ng, who was then 37 years old, several times, while Chan used his belt to strike the victim.
Chan was subsequently arrested and jailed for seven years but Lee fled to Hong Kong that same year.
Lee returned to Singapore from Malaysia five years later by hiding in a car boot.
However, he did not turn himself in to the authorities and continued to live his life normally - operating his King George's Avenue hair salon and raising two sons.
It was only in April last year that the police eventually arrested Lee during a routine check at a betting outlet.
In the High Court yesterday, defence lawyer Josephus Tan argued in mitigation that, although Lee was armed with a knife at that time, it was for self-defence. He also pointed out that Lee had no criminal record and "led a useful and opened life".
Justice Lee Seiu Kin, who presided over the case, acknowledged that Lee lived his life productively but agreed with prosecutors that he should be jailed not less than seven years. "A life was lost ... (and) society must exact penalty," he said.
This show how “efficient” the Singapore Police Force is.
A man committed a serous offence can hide in tiny Singapore for 22 years and live a normal live. In out custom did a good job by allowing him to enter Singapore in a car boot.
In fact this guy is just unlucky that he was being caught during a routine check which imply the police is not actively look for him, in fact I think they stop looking for him 27 years ago.
Meanwhile they probably are using their man power to do this and this.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Elite got special report for doing ordinary things
Sim Ann gives birth to baby boy, 1st MP to do so while in office
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Law, Ms Sim Ann, has become Singapore's first MP to give birth while in office.
Her son, weighing 3.2kg, was born at 3pm on Tuesday, four days earlier than expected.
'I feel good. The recovery was quick and the baby is fine,' she told The Straits Times last night.
'So far, so good. We're getting used to each other,' said the mother of three. She and her husband, Dr Mok Ying Jang, 44, have a seven-year-old son and a daughter, aged five.
I was browsing through the states publication over the weekends and beside being bombarded with news or our MEN IN WHITE conference I saw the above.
First thought was SO WHAT?
Hundreds of Singaporean gave birth everyday so what if one of the party members did.
Maybe it Sim Ann likes to declare to the world she is not attending the party conference because she has better thing to do?
Congratulation to Baby Mok for entering the world with no money, career and education problem for the rest of his life and he already got a head start from the average Singaporean.
So now Sim Ann will enjoy her free medical care and maternal leaves out of tax payer money.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Law, Ms Sim Ann, has become Singapore's first MP to give birth while in office.
Her son, weighing 3.2kg, was born at 3pm on Tuesday, four days earlier than expected.
'I feel good. The recovery was quick and the baby is fine,' she told The Straits Times last night.
'So far, so good. We're getting used to each other,' said the mother of three. She and her husband, Dr Mok Ying Jang, 44, have a seven-year-old son and a daughter, aged five.
I was browsing through the states publication over the weekends and beside being bombarded with news or our MEN IN WHITE conference I saw the above.
First thought was SO WHAT?
Hundreds of Singaporean gave birth everyday so what if one of the party members did.
Maybe it Sim Ann likes to declare to the world she is not attending the party conference because she has better thing to do?
Congratulation to Baby Mok for entering the world with no money, career and education problem for the rest of his life and he already got a head start from the average Singaporean.
So now Sim Ann will enjoy her free medical care and maternal leaves out of tax payer money.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The extend of their Greed
How ministers qualify for pensions
Yahoo News 22 NOV 2011
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that retiring ministers must serve at least eight years in office to be eligible for a pension.
Replying to a question by opposition Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC Pritam Singh on Monday, he disclosed that the pension is based only on the pensionable component of the salary and not on the total monthly salary.
This pensionable component has been fixed since 1994, and so it has been decreasing in proportion to the total monthly salary, reported Channel NewsAsia.
Other components of the annual salary such as the 13th month payment, annual variable component and performance bonus are also not pensionable, said the prime minister.
He pointed out that a minister is only eligible for the maximum pension after he has served for 18 years as an office holder and will receive less if he serves a shorter period.
The maximum pension is about 10 per cent of his annual salary before his retirement.
Lee also said the value of pension a minister is able to receive upon retirement is fully considered when ministerial salaries are set against the benchmark.
He said a committee reviewing the ministerial salaries – due to release its findings in December – also includes a review of the ministers’ pension scheme.
There is absolutely no end to these people greed.
I am totally disgusted by our Minister’s endless demand of money and they even twist law and argue ridiculous to squeeze more money from Singapore Citizen.
First let talk about figure.
Hsein Loong’s annual salary is about US$2,856,930 our dear Minister’s is about US$1,6M.
Say 10% pension works out to be US$280,000 a year for Hsein Loong and US$160,000 for our Minister that mean Hsein Loong will get US$28K a month and out parrot Ministers will get US$16K month. Even more then current Member of parliament.
Yahoo News 22 NOV 2011
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that retiring ministers must serve at least eight years in office to be eligible for a pension.
Replying to a question by opposition Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC Pritam Singh on Monday, he disclosed that the pension is based only on the pensionable component of the salary and not on the total monthly salary.
This pensionable component has been fixed since 1994, and so it has been decreasing in proportion to the total monthly salary, reported Channel NewsAsia.
Other components of the annual salary such as the 13th month payment, annual variable component and performance bonus are also not pensionable, said the prime minister.
He pointed out that a minister is only eligible for the maximum pension after he has served for 18 years as an office holder and will receive less if he serves a shorter period.
The maximum pension is about 10 per cent of his annual salary before his retirement.
Lee also said the value of pension a minister is able to receive upon retirement is fully considered when ministerial salaries are set against the benchmark.
He said a committee reviewing the ministerial salaries – due to release its findings in December – also includes a review of the ministers’ pension scheme.
There is absolutely no end to these people greed.
I am totally disgusted by our Minister’s endless demand of money and they even twist law and argue ridiculous to squeeze more money from Singapore Citizen.
First let talk about figure.
Hsein Loong’s annual salary is about US$2,856,930 our dear Minister’s is about US$1,6M.
Say 10% pension works out to be US$280,000 a year for Hsein Loong and US$160,000 for our Minister that mean Hsein Loong will get US$28K a month and out parrot Ministers will get US$16K month. Even more then current Member of parliament.
Mind you these are tax payer money and this money is on top of the free medical they will be getting till they go to hell.
Pension scheme still are available for these super rich Elites while the rest of us have CPF.
Why this double standard Hsien Loong?
I can only come up with one think in mind. Greed.
These bastards are so greedy that I think they can enter the Guinness Book of Record for it.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Half hearted effort from the Transport Ministy
LTA studying commuters' travel patterns to ease jam
21 November 2011
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority is studying how to manage train travel patterns and will make their ideas known soon.
Minister of State for Transport and Finance, Josephine Teo, gave this update in Parliament on Monday.
She said parallel buses have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy.
But commuters still prefer trains as taking buses may mean a longer travel time due to road conditions.
She added that the upcoming Downtown Line should ease travel loads when it opens. And changing travelling behaviour of commuters may need more work.
Mr Cedric Foo, the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport, said: "Other than just supply-shaping, can we look into demand-shaping?
"In other words, how to further incentivise commuters to travel pre-peak hours through discount?
"Today, there's a 30-cent discount but can that be increased?"
Mrs Josephine Teo said: "Since the enhanced discount for pre-peak travel was introduced, the numbers are not completely in yet.
"But anecdotally, the shifting of behaviour has not been great.
"And it looks like more needs to be done to encourage people to travel earlier.
"The feedback that has been given is that often, our commuters value their sleep more than what they have to pay."
I will be keeping a look out for the study report. I hope it will not be another “this is it but we cannot do anything” report.
But end of the day I personally think the solution is not that difficult but rather do the government and the transport operators want to do it or not.
Firstly to ease peak hour crowd, the bus and train operator just have to increase the frequency of trains and buses to the max. E.g let say you have 20 stations on the East West line you just have to pack the maximum allowable trains that the infrastructure can take say about 20 trains, one for each station, running at the same time. I guess that squeeze in even more.
Josephine said commuters still prefer train over parallel buses that have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy. Try reducing the fare for these buses by 50% and I am sure more people will take the bus.
Frankly I don’t mind taking a longer time if I can get a seat and it is cheaper when I take the bus.
Cedric brought up a good point. 30 cents definitely is not an incentive for you to travel before peak hour, in fact what can you buy for 30 these days.
Try to give 50% discount off the fare and I am sure there will be more off-peak commuters.
Note for off-peak travel they are asking you to go to work early. How come they are not encouraging you to go to work later? The government is scheming for you to work longer hours.
In fact I think a good way to ease traffic congestion is to stagger working hours and let people work from home.
21 November 2011
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority is studying how to manage train travel patterns and will make their ideas known soon.
Minister of State for Transport and Finance, Josephine Teo, gave this update in Parliament on Monday.
She said parallel buses have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy.
But commuters still prefer trains as taking buses may mean a longer travel time due to road conditions.
She added that the upcoming Downtown Line should ease travel loads when it opens. And changing travelling behaviour of commuters may need more work.
Mr Cedric Foo, the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport, said: "Other than just supply-shaping, can we look into demand-shaping?
"In other words, how to further incentivise commuters to travel pre-peak hours through discount?
"Today, there's a 30-cent discount but can that be increased?"
Mrs Josephine Teo said: "Since the enhanced discount for pre-peak travel was introduced, the numbers are not completely in yet.
"But anecdotally, the shifting of behaviour has not been great.
"And it looks like more needs to be done to encourage people to travel earlier.
"The feedback that has been given is that often, our commuters value their sleep more than what they have to pay."
I will be keeping a look out for the study report. I hope it will not be another “this is it but we cannot do anything” report.
But end of the day I personally think the solution is not that difficult but rather do the government and the transport operators want to do it or not.
Firstly to ease peak hour crowd, the bus and train operator just have to increase the frequency of trains and buses to the max. E.g let say you have 20 stations on the East West line you just have to pack the maximum allowable trains that the infrastructure can take say about 20 trains, one for each station, running at the same time. I guess that squeeze in even more.
Josephine said commuters still prefer train over parallel buses that have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy. Try reducing the fare for these buses by 50% and I am sure more people will take the bus.
Frankly I don’t mind taking a longer time if I can get a seat and it is cheaper when I take the bus.
Cedric brought up a good point. 30 cents definitely is not an incentive for you to travel before peak hour, in fact what can you buy for 30 these days.
Try to give 50% discount off the fare and I am sure there will be more off-peak commuters.
Note for off-peak travel they are asking you to go to work early. How come they are not encouraging you to go to work later? The government is scheming for you to work longer hours.
In fact I think a good way to ease traffic congestion is to stagger working hours and let people work from home.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Singapore's Isabelle
SEA Games: Singapore complete clean sweep in table tennis
17 November 2011
17 November 2011
JAKARTA: Before they went into action here at the 26th SEA Games, Team Singapore's table tennis stars walked the playing hall and the streets without any fuss.
It was a very different story on Wednesday.
The team of eight were mobbed by local fans at the Soemantri Brodjonegoro Sports Complex after sweeping all five of the gold medals on offer in table tennis.
It was an all-Singapore affair on the final day of table tennis, with world No 4 Feng Tianwei claiming the gold medal in the women's singles and Gao Ning emerging as the men's singles champion.
Feng, 25, proved too good for her younger team-mate, Isabelle Li, the 17-year-old debutant.
There was tremendous support for the two Singapore women in the stands, that also featured a contingent of Team Singapore supporters, including chef-de-mission Dr Tan Eng Liang.
Feng was never troubled, wrapping up the final 4-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5) in 35 minutes.
Said the defending champion, who also picked up a gold in the women's doubles: "I think today Isabelle was not so used to my style and I played better and was more steady.
"Isabelle is a player with a lot of promise. She's good and she just needs to work on her aggression and attack."
Feng returns to Singapore on Thursday before departing for London on November 21 to compete in the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals.
Watched by her family members and friends, last year's Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Isabelle was delighted to finish second on her debut.
"There is still a gulf in standard between us, and it was a hard match for me. This is my first time competing against Tianwei and it was a very special moment for me playing against a world champion and world No 4," said the teenager.
In the men's singles final that followed, it was sweet revenge for veteran Gao Ning, who notched a 4-0 (11-6, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8) victory over team-mate Yang Zi. The 29-year-old had lost the Commonwealth Games gold to Yang in New Delhi last year,
Gao Ning, who claimed his third successive singles gold in the event, said: "It's a good feeling. I think I prepared more sufficiently this time around and clinched the crucial points."
With five golds and four silver medals from five events, table tennis is the most successful sport for Singapore here.
Selection issues had dogged the paddlers ahead of the SEA Games, as the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) got into a tangle with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).
It was eventually resolved, and speaking on Wednesday, STTA president Lee Bee Wah said: "I'm very proud of them, especially our younger players Xuejie and Isabelle. I think the results speak for itself ... the STTA wants to groom younger players.
"In future, the policy of sending one set of senior players to get medals and another set of younger ones for development will remain (for SEA Games)."
Chef-de-mission Tan, a vice-president at the SNOC, personally congratulated Lee on the team's success.
"Our congratulations to the paddlers and the association for winning five gold medals. They deserve our fullest and heartiest congratulations.
"The younger players, especially Isabelle and Pang, they have done well to reach where they are, and it's good for them and table tennis," he said.
I am so happy and proud of Isabelle being a true blue Singaporean and manage to beat a China Born “Singaporean”.
Just imagine if there is no Feng in the team, Isabelle may just be the SEA game’s champion.
Personally I do not support these “buying” of foreigner, give them a citizenship and let them represent Singapore.
It is different if one migrated here and Singapore developed him or her to represent Singapore.
If he or she is already trained and just because his/her home country has quota of sending them to world championship and these players has to seek second home in Singapore then it is not too correct.
To them Singapore is just suckers for putting someone on the world map of sports.
In fact I think fame is not so important. We don’t have to win an Olympic medal by importing foreigners.
We should spend more time and effort to develop our own people. True blue Singaporean.
Isabelle stands a good chance of being one of the world best. I think we should be spending more money on Table Tennis then those idiotic swimmers who try to speak like American.
Looking forward to see more or Isabelle in the future, and congratulation for winning the silver medal.
Monday, November 14, 2011
MP talking rubbish.
We’ve become a more gracious society: ESM Goh
Sat, Nov 12, 2011
Over the years, the level of graciousness among Singaporeans has improved, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Sunday.
Speaking as the guest of honour at the first Singapore Kindness Movement conference, Goh noted that the habit of spitting in public is not as widely visible and common as compared to the past years.
He also observed that Singaporeans have grown more polite when speaking on their mobile phones at the public places, albeit there are still cases of people being inconsiderate.
“In my view, I think we have become more gracious,” said the former prime minister.
The Member of Parliament also mooted the idea of creating a “4G Home” which stands for “Great, Gracious, Generous and Green home” for the whole of the Marine Parade group representation constituency, which he represents.
This movement could later on be extended to the other parts of the country, he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also MP for the GRC, said that Singaporeans can choose to be kind and gracious or not to those around them.
“We all make those choices every day. How we treat our family members, how we treat our neighbours. When we walk out and we see them, do we smile? Do we greet them? When we know they’re rushing, do we hold the lift for them,” he asked.
“All these little actions doesn’t cost you anything,” he pointed out, adding that doing such acts of kindness would eventually become second nature in people if done regularly.
Tan also reminded parents that they also had a role to play in instilling positive values in their children. For instance, he said that the way parents interact in public could have an influence on the behaviour of their children.
“Do we as parents pay attention to the way we talk in front of our children, the comments we pass about the neighbours, about people out there. We are sometimes very loose in the way we way talk,” he said.
William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement Council, also stressed that the kindness movement is not a top-down but more of a bottom-up approach.
“This is a movement; this is not a government thing. This should be a people thing,” he said.
And this year’s campaign theme “Say Thanks, Make Someone’s Day” aims to ensure that Singaporeans are able to participate even through the simplest act of kindness, he said.
The conference was held in conjunction with the World Kindness Day which will kick off at Orchard Road on Sunday. Around 30,000 yellow gerbera daisies will be given out to the public and they are encouraged to spread the idea and pass it whenever they witness any act of kindness.
Has this guys been living in the cave for too long or maybe he built his ivory tower too high?
It is a joke that Goh comments that our society is more gracious, maybe when compare to 1 day ago but to me it has definitely gone from bad to worst.
If it is really a more gracious society now as Goh, MP for Marine parade, said then what are we even wasting tax payer money to launch this year Kindness movement reminding Singapore to say a simple “Thank you”.
Look around you Goh, look at the tissue reservation culture in our hawker. Opps I forgot you don’t have you daily meal there.
Look at people not giving up reserved seats to those in need. Opps I forgot you don’t travel on public transport.
Look at the amount of litters over the weekends. Look at the mess people created during meals. Do people thank those aunties and uncles who clean up the tables at foodcourts?
Step out of your damned comfort zone and see with you own eyes before passing useless views. You don’t live like normal Singaporean so you have experience how “Gracious” we have became.
Sat, Nov 12, 2011
Over the years, the level of graciousness among Singaporeans has improved, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Sunday.
Speaking as the guest of honour at the first Singapore Kindness Movement conference, Goh noted that the habit of spitting in public is not as widely visible and common as compared to the past years.
He also observed that Singaporeans have grown more polite when speaking on their mobile phones at the public places, albeit there are still cases of people being inconsiderate.
“In my view, I think we have become more gracious,” said the former prime minister.
The Member of Parliament also mooted the idea of creating a “4G Home” which stands for “Great, Gracious, Generous and Green home” for the whole of the Marine Parade group representation constituency, which he represents.
This movement could later on be extended to the other parts of the country, he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also MP for the GRC, said that Singaporeans can choose to be kind and gracious or not to those around them.
“We all make those choices every day. How we treat our family members, how we treat our neighbours. When we walk out and we see them, do we smile? Do we greet them? When we know they’re rushing, do we hold the lift for them,” he asked.
“All these little actions doesn’t cost you anything,” he pointed out, adding that doing such acts of kindness would eventually become second nature in people if done regularly.
Tan also reminded parents that they also had a role to play in instilling positive values in their children. For instance, he said that the way parents interact in public could have an influence on the behaviour of their children.
“Do we as parents pay attention to the way we talk in front of our children, the comments we pass about the neighbours, about people out there. We are sometimes very loose in the way we way talk,” he said.
William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement Council, also stressed that the kindness movement is not a top-down but more of a bottom-up approach.
“This is a movement; this is not a government thing. This should be a people thing,” he said.
And this year’s campaign theme “Say Thanks, Make Someone’s Day” aims to ensure that Singaporeans are able to participate even through the simplest act of kindness, he said.
The conference was held in conjunction with the World Kindness Day which will kick off at Orchard Road on Sunday. Around 30,000 yellow gerbera daisies will be given out to the public and they are encouraged to spread the idea and pass it whenever they witness any act of kindness.
Has this guys been living in the cave for too long or maybe he built his ivory tower too high?
It is a joke that Goh comments that our society is more gracious, maybe when compare to 1 day ago but to me it has definitely gone from bad to worst.
If it is really a more gracious society now as Goh, MP for Marine parade, said then what are we even wasting tax payer money to launch this year Kindness movement reminding Singapore to say a simple “Thank you”.
Look around you Goh, look at the tissue reservation culture in our hawker. Opps I forgot you don’t have you daily meal there.
Look at people not giving up reserved seats to those in need. Opps I forgot you don’t travel on public transport.
Look at the amount of litters over the weekends. Look at the mess people created during meals. Do people thank those aunties and uncles who clean up the tables at foodcourts?
Step out of your damned comfort zone and see with you own eyes before passing useless views. You don’t live like normal Singaporean so you have experience how “Gracious” we have became.
Friday, November 11, 2011
More stupid Elites
Smaller flats have not lowered quality of life: HDB CEO
Nov 11, 2011
SINGAPORE - The shrinking size of public flats here has not lowered Singaporeans' quality of living, according to Housing and Development Board's (HDB) CEO Cheong Koon Hean.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a housing forum yesterday, Dr Cheong noted that there are now fewer people living in one flat which works out to increased living space per person.
"Our families are smaller. In the old days, we have very large families living in a flat. Today, the family is two, three, four (people)," she said.
As a result of rising land costs and the need to keep flats affordable, the size of HDB flats has shrunk by 5 to 10 per cent over the last two to three decades. For example, a five-room flat in Bukit Batok Central built in 1989 has a floor area of 121 sq m, compared to 110 sq m for a similar unit built in 2003.
Based on official surveys, the average household size was 3.5 last year. In 1980, it was 4.9.
This means an occupant of a 110 sq m five-room flat today will have 31 sq m of space, while a resident of a 121 sq m five-room flat in the '80s had about 25 sq m of space. Dr Cheong added that interior design also plays a part in creating good living space.
"In many global cities of the world or big cities, people do pay attention to how they do the inside of the flat as well as optimising the use of furniture and storage. It can be a very comfortable living environment," she said.
PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail concurred with Dr Cheong: "The modern Singapore family is much smaller and living in a bigger place compared to previous generations, and with amenities. The quality of life is not affected."
Mr Ismail added: "And people have a choice to buy three, four or five-room flats."
Still, Mr Ismail noted that with the high property prices, the lower income with many children will be most affected as they have "no choice but to buy within their means, and that means a smaller flat".
Size matters
Suntec Chesterton International head of research and consultancy Colin Tan disagreed with the suggestion that the smaller flat sizes have not compromised the quality of living.
Mr Tan pointed out that today's modern family needs "at least" a three-bedroom flat with one room for the domestic help or the in-laws.
"And when the children grow up, families will want separate rooms for daughters and sons," Mr Tan said.
Mr Tan noted that unlike the private sector, the HDB does not reduce the size of the kitchen. Instead, it builds smaller bedrooms and this is where Mr Tan believes has the "biggest impact" on the quality of life.
He also argued that Singaporeans, who have become more affluent, have a greater number of possessions which require space. Said Mr Tan: "People who have lived in bigger flats will feel that their quality of life has gone down."
Some flat owners pointed out that it is the size of the unit that affects a couple's decision on the number of children to have. Ms Priscilla Raj, 28, who lives in a five-room Build-To-Order flat, said she was not satisfied with the size of her flat, which might deter her from having more children.
The mother of one said: "(The size) will affect your quality of life - there's no space to have your in-laws or friends to stay over. The cramp makes you feel that you're living in a cell."
Bravo Cheong Koon Hean, you made yourself sound like an idiot on public media trying to justify your organisation greed by building smaller flats while selling them at record prices.
First of all I bet this Koon Hean doesn’t even live in HDB nor she has many friends living in one of her product.
Here is like having someone who eat shark fin everyday telling the person who drink tap water it is good enough to have water as long time ago people dink from the drains.
This again highlighted the poor quality of leadership in government stats boards who are appointed without knowing the needs and hardships of average Singaporean. (Remember the SMRT CEO?)
How will you expect these Elites to do a good job providing the needs of the peasants?
They do not use the product the sell and they are out to maximise profit for their company.
Now we know they are quite stupid as well as they try to tell us how good HDB flats and SMRT are.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
Nov 11, 2011
SINGAPORE - The shrinking size of public flats here has not lowered Singaporeans' quality of living, according to Housing and Development Board's (HDB) CEO Cheong Koon Hean.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a housing forum yesterday, Dr Cheong noted that there are now fewer people living in one flat which works out to increased living space per person.
"Our families are smaller. In the old days, we have very large families living in a flat. Today, the family is two, three, four (people)," she said.
As a result of rising land costs and the need to keep flats affordable, the size of HDB flats has shrunk by 5 to 10 per cent over the last two to three decades. For example, a five-room flat in Bukit Batok Central built in 1989 has a floor area of 121 sq m, compared to 110 sq m for a similar unit built in 2003.
Based on official surveys, the average household size was 3.5 last year. In 1980, it was 4.9.
This means an occupant of a 110 sq m five-room flat today will have 31 sq m of space, while a resident of a 121 sq m five-room flat in the '80s had about 25 sq m of space. Dr Cheong added that interior design also plays a part in creating good living space.
"In many global cities of the world or big cities, people do pay attention to how they do the inside of the flat as well as optimising the use of furniture and storage. It can be a very comfortable living environment," she said.
PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail concurred with Dr Cheong: "The modern Singapore family is much smaller and living in a bigger place compared to previous generations, and with amenities. The quality of life is not affected."
Mr Ismail added: "And people have a choice to buy three, four or five-room flats."
Still, Mr Ismail noted that with the high property prices, the lower income with many children will be most affected as they have "no choice but to buy within their means, and that means a smaller flat".
Size matters
Suntec Chesterton International head of research and consultancy Colin Tan disagreed with the suggestion that the smaller flat sizes have not compromised the quality of living.
Mr Tan pointed out that today's modern family needs "at least" a three-bedroom flat with one room for the domestic help or the in-laws.
"And when the children grow up, families will want separate rooms for daughters and sons," Mr Tan said.
Mr Tan noted that unlike the private sector, the HDB does not reduce the size of the kitchen. Instead, it builds smaller bedrooms and this is where Mr Tan believes has the "biggest impact" on the quality of life.
He also argued that Singaporeans, who have become more affluent, have a greater number of possessions which require space. Said Mr Tan: "People who have lived in bigger flats will feel that their quality of life has gone down."
Some flat owners pointed out that it is the size of the unit that affects a couple's decision on the number of children to have. Ms Priscilla Raj, 28, who lives in a five-room Build-To-Order flat, said she was not satisfied with the size of her flat, which might deter her from having more children.
The mother of one said: "(The size) will affect your quality of life - there's no space to have your in-laws or friends to stay over. The cramp makes you feel that you're living in a cell."
Bravo Cheong Koon Hean, you made yourself sound like an idiot on public media trying to justify your organisation greed by building smaller flats while selling them at record prices.
First of all I bet this Koon Hean doesn’t even live in HDB nor she has many friends living in one of her product.
Here is like having someone who eat shark fin everyday telling the person who drink tap water it is good enough to have water as long time ago people dink from the drains.
This again highlighted the poor quality of leadership in government stats boards who are appointed without knowing the needs and hardships of average Singaporean. (Remember the SMRT CEO?)
How will you expect these Elites to do a good job providing the needs of the peasants?
They do not use the product the sell and they are out to maximise profit for their company.
Now we know they are quite stupid as well as they try to tell us how good HDB flats and SMRT are.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Casio Scum
MBS jackpot winner to finally get her dues
Nov 10, 2011
SINGAPORE - A hawker who got into a dispute with Marina Bay Sands (MBS) after she was denied her full jackpot winnings will be getting the money after all. The MBS said yesterday that it has agreed to pay Madam Choo Hong Eng 58, the full sum of S$416,742.11.
An MBS spokesperson said in a statement: "Marina Bay Sands regrets any confusion over the numbers displayed when Madam Choo Hong Eng won the Lotus Evora slot jackpot in our casino ... After carefully reviewing this matter, Marina Bay Sands will pay the patron the amount that was displayed on the slot machine."
The spokesperson added: "We deeply regret the inconveniences caused."
Mdm Choo had visited the casino at MBS on Oct 18. She hit the jackpot but the casino told her that the machine had malfunctioned. She was offered a sports car worth S$258,962 and S$50,000 in cash instead. But Mdm Choo refused the offer, in the knowledge that there was CCTV camera footage and witnesses to support her account.
Mdm Choo told Channel NewsAsia yesterday that she was notified by her lawyer of MBS' decision to pay her the full winnings in a letter dated last Friday when she was in Taiwan.
Mdm Choo, who had earlier asked the Casino Regulatory Authority to intervene, signed the letter of acceptance at her lawyer's firm yesterday. According to Mdm Choo, she will receive the money three days after MBS receives the letter of acceptance.
Mdm Choo said she will donate about half of her winnings to charity.
Damned these big establishments. Trying to con and threaten normal people on the street.
What you expect when you run a casino? Only want people to lose money in your premises?
Casino owner are indeed the biggest scum around.
Another reason not to gamble, casino is around because you are losing lots of money.
Nov 10, 2011
SINGAPORE - A hawker who got into a dispute with Marina Bay Sands (MBS) after she was denied her full jackpot winnings will be getting the money after all. The MBS said yesterday that it has agreed to pay Madam Choo Hong Eng 58, the full sum of S$416,742.11.
An MBS spokesperson said in a statement: "Marina Bay Sands regrets any confusion over the numbers displayed when Madam Choo Hong Eng won the Lotus Evora slot jackpot in our casino ... After carefully reviewing this matter, Marina Bay Sands will pay the patron the amount that was displayed on the slot machine."
The spokesperson added: "We deeply regret the inconveniences caused."
Mdm Choo had visited the casino at MBS on Oct 18. She hit the jackpot but the casino told her that the machine had malfunctioned. She was offered a sports car worth S$258,962 and S$50,000 in cash instead. But Mdm Choo refused the offer, in the knowledge that there was CCTV camera footage and witnesses to support her account.
Mdm Choo told Channel NewsAsia yesterday that she was notified by her lawyer of MBS' decision to pay her the full winnings in a letter dated last Friday when she was in Taiwan.
Mdm Choo, who had earlier asked the Casino Regulatory Authority to intervene, signed the letter of acceptance at her lawyer's firm yesterday. According to Mdm Choo, she will receive the money three days after MBS receives the letter of acceptance.
Mdm Choo said she will donate about half of her winnings to charity.
Damned these big establishments. Trying to con and threaten normal people on the street.
What you expect when you run a casino? Only want people to lose money in your premises?
Casino owner are indeed the biggest scum around.
Another reason not to gamble, casino is around because you are losing lots of money.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
My 6th mobile phone
Ok to me it is just a phone.
I am neither pro-apple nor anti-apple.
I know people out there who swore by apple and keep boasting about it and also there are some who are at the other extreme condemning it.
Well everything have pro and cons, to me it is just a smart phone.
Looking back this is my 6th phones for the past 12 years. This can be considered as little compare to people around me.
I can say I am clever person in this aspect and not like those that keep changing to the latest phone whenever they are available.
Technology has indeed come a long way.
Decay of Moral in Singapore
MOE develops tool kit for character education
08 November 2011
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has developed a resource package to help schools create their own curriculum for Character and Citizenship Education (CCE).
The tool kit provides checklists and broad approaches that teachers can take.
Teachers will need to be supported through professional development courses and relevant research materials.
But Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat said parents must not be left out of the equation.
"Parents play the most critical role in the upbringing of the children, in inculcating the right values and building the character of their children," he said.
"Indeed, parents are the ones who know their children best. So there has to be a very strong partnership between the parents and schools, and also between the schools and the broader community.
"If you look at the sources of influence on the values and the character of our students, the sources are much more diverse and varied than it was in the past.
"Therefore, it's important to pull all these elements together into a coherent whole."
The tool kit sets out several broad approaches.
These include integrating CCE into the school's academic subjects, co-curricular activities and staff development programmes, as opposed to treating it as a standalone subject.
Schools should also customise their programmes based on the profile of their students.
In North View Primary School, for instance, students put themselves in the shoes of others during lessons on empathy.
They take turns manoeuvring their classmates on wheelchairs, and picking out safety pins from rice while being blindfolded.
These are some ways to give students a feel of what it is like to be disabled.
Primary 6 student Wong Xin Pei said: "I was starting to get irritated after only a while. Then I realised how hard it was for the visually handicapped to go through their entire lives without being able to see what's around them."
Examples such as what's taking place at North View Primary are included in the new tool kit, to guide teachers along.
The tool kit lays out some broad approaches, including treating values not as a separate subject, but something to be integrated into everyday school life.
Teachers will be given the flexibility to customise programmes based on the family background and profiles of the students, and they'll also be given the support and resources to do so.
But schools can't do it alone.
Unlike other subjects, determination, responsibility and self-confidence can't be tested.
Mr Heng said the effort will take time to bear fruit, and the only gauge is how well students internalise these values.
North View Primary said it will form focus groups involving students and parents to ensure that the teaching of values is on the right track.
It’s about time they start to emphasis more on the moral of our youth.
They may be too late as the parents of these youth already has not much morals and they certainly will influent their children more then what the school can.
I have seen countless selfish parents letting their child run wild, screaming their head off at public area causing a nuisance to the pubic while they either chat with their friends or doddle on their phones.
I have seen countless parents behaving badly in front of their kids not settling a good example.
They grab as more they can eat at buffet, cut queues, litter and are rude to others.
So what moral will a child have if he or she grows up in this kind of family?
Children imitate adult and they spend more time at home then school.
If you don’t have time to love, educate and discipline your child then don’t have kids.
They will only grow up to be another irritating adult.
No wonder youth these days have screwed up life and even beat up their parents.
08 November 2011
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has developed a resource package to help schools create their own curriculum for Character and Citizenship Education (CCE).
The tool kit provides checklists and broad approaches that teachers can take.
Teachers will need to be supported through professional development courses and relevant research materials.
But Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat said parents must not be left out of the equation.
"Parents play the most critical role in the upbringing of the children, in inculcating the right values and building the character of their children," he said.
"Indeed, parents are the ones who know their children best. So there has to be a very strong partnership between the parents and schools, and also between the schools and the broader community.
"If you look at the sources of influence on the values and the character of our students, the sources are much more diverse and varied than it was in the past.
"Therefore, it's important to pull all these elements together into a coherent whole."
The tool kit sets out several broad approaches.
These include integrating CCE into the school's academic subjects, co-curricular activities and staff development programmes, as opposed to treating it as a standalone subject.
Schools should also customise their programmes based on the profile of their students.
In North View Primary School, for instance, students put themselves in the shoes of others during lessons on empathy.
They take turns manoeuvring their classmates on wheelchairs, and picking out safety pins from rice while being blindfolded.
These are some ways to give students a feel of what it is like to be disabled.
Primary 6 student Wong Xin Pei said: "I was starting to get irritated after only a while. Then I realised how hard it was for the visually handicapped to go through their entire lives without being able to see what's around them."
Examples such as what's taking place at North View Primary are included in the new tool kit, to guide teachers along.
The tool kit lays out some broad approaches, including treating values not as a separate subject, but something to be integrated into everyday school life.
Teachers will be given the flexibility to customise programmes based on the family background and profiles of the students, and they'll also be given the support and resources to do so.
But schools can't do it alone.
Unlike other subjects, determination, responsibility and self-confidence can't be tested.
Mr Heng said the effort will take time to bear fruit, and the only gauge is how well students internalise these values.
North View Primary said it will form focus groups involving students and parents to ensure that the teaching of values is on the right track.
It’s about time they start to emphasis more on the moral of our youth.
They may be too late as the parents of these youth already has not much morals and they certainly will influent their children more then what the school can.
I have seen countless selfish parents letting their child run wild, screaming their head off at public area causing a nuisance to the pubic while they either chat with their friends or doddle on their phones.
I have seen countless parents behaving badly in front of their kids not settling a good example.
They grab as more they can eat at buffet, cut queues, litter and are rude to others.
So what moral will a child have if he or she grows up in this kind of family?
Children imitate adult and they spend more time at home then school.
If you don’t have time to love, educate and discipline your child then don’t have kids.
They will only grow up to be another irritating adult.
No wonder youth these days have screwed up life and even beat up their parents.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
"I enjoy, you suffer". A good idea indeed.
Government policies won't please all: DPM Teo
Government's job is to make decisions after taking in different feedback
ST 03 NOV
If everybody wants an MRT service, someone will have to suffer the dust and noise of a station being built, perhaps near his home.
And if roads are to be widened, people will have to accept that some trees may have to be cut down to make space.
Citing these examples of trade-offs that decision-makers have to make, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Wednesday sought to show that not everyone will be happy with every decision made by the Government.
Nevertheless, it is the Government's job to make decisions, even when they are tough and unpopular, he said
The question is, are you will to suffer a little by giving up part of your pay package for the well being of average Singaporean.
It’s easy to ask other to scarify while you and the Elites enjoy all the fruits and champagne.
Government's job is to make decisions after taking in different feedback
ST 03 NOV
If everybody wants an MRT service, someone will have to suffer the dust and noise of a station being built, perhaps near his home.
And if roads are to be widened, people will have to accept that some trees may have to be cut down to make space.
Citing these examples of trade-offs that decision-makers have to make, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Wednesday sought to show that not everyone will be happy with every decision made by the Government.
Nevertheless, it is the Government's job to make decisions, even when they are tough and unpopular, he said
The question is, are you will to suffer a little by giving up part of your pay package for the well being of average Singaporean.
It’s easy to ask other to scarify while you and the Elites enjoy all the fruits and champagne.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Highest paid Puppet
S'poreans have limited understanding of Elected Presidency: survey
01 November 2011 1100 hrs
A survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that Singaporeans appear to have a limited understanding of the Elected Presidency.
The survey was conducted within two months of the August presidential election, Singapore's second since 1991 when the Elected Presidency was created.
The first was in 1993, when former Accountant-General Chua Kim Yeow and former Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong contested.
The IPS survey sought to understand the factors behind voters' choices.
The 2,025 respondents were asked which of 11 statements described the roles of the President.
Of these 11 statements, only five were aligned with the government's interpretation of the office.
Forty-two per cent got six or more correct and only one per cent was able to identify all "correct" and "incorrect" statements.
Representing Singapore in foreign relations was the most recognised role, with 94 per cent answering correctly, but respondents were unclear over whether the President is allowed to speak publicly on national issues.
Fifty-seven per cent agreed with the official view that the Elected President could not speak unless advised by the government.
Seventy-five per cent said 'yes' when asked if the Elected President could speak on issues he thinks are important.
The survey found that among the top three roles that shaped a voter's choice, the top two did not fall within the official interpretation. These were, "to ensure that the government manages the economy wisely" and "to ensure that the government does what it promised in the general election".
The third most important role was the President's veto powers over the reserves. This, IPS said, reflects the level of opinion and expectation the public has over the office.
Presenting the results on Tuesday, Dr Gillian Koh of the Institute of Policy Studies said the gap in understanding corresponded with statements made by candidates in the presidential election during campaigning period.
The senior research fellow said more education is needed.
She said: "I think the level of opinion in our findings can be due to a couple of things. First, [that] the institution of the Elected Presidency is very young, is extremely complex. And second, it is put to the vote. So people feel that with a mandate that is from the ground, it should actually allow the President to do much more than what is actually stipulated."
As for characteristics of candidates, respondents valued honesty, fairness and the ability to represent the country well, with a score of 4.5 and above out of five points.
Independence from political parties mattered less, scoring 3.5 points. The majority of those who said it was important were from low-income groups and the lower occupational classes.
Respondents were also less concerned about picking a candidate whose views on national issues ran parallel to theirs.
The survey found that in general, the higher the income and education levels of respondents, the more knowledgeable they were.
This same group also tended to be more critical of the system, and more likely to support change. For instance, they were more likely to agree that political parties and social organisations and unions should not be allowed to endorse candidates.
As with the May general election, the Internet played a significant role as a medium of communication, particularly among younger respondents earning higher incomes.
However, newspapers and television remained the top two sources of information across respondents and also had a bigger influence over voting decisions.
Among websites cited, Facebook was the most commonly read while Channel NewsAsia website was rated highest among respondents aged 21-29, those who were most highly educated and who were most knowledgeable about the Elected Presidency.
People generally don’t care about the role and function of our President simply as we did not have a say on who we want until recently since Mr Ong time.
If you ask the man on the street, the general feeling is that our President is just a puppet, opps, a symbolic one.
The role and functions are not clear and I remember is just keep changing and only until the recent presidential election that we got some surprising enlightenment from the cabinets on the limiter power or shall I say non existing power he have.
Then why is he pay so much?
Maybe Tony should get 1/3 of the pay since only 1/3 of Singaporean voted for him.
Just wondering is he still getting his pension on top of his president’s salary?
Grossly imbalance our society is if you ask me.
01 November 2011 1100 hrs
A survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that Singaporeans appear to have a limited understanding of the Elected Presidency.
The survey was conducted within two months of the August presidential election, Singapore's second since 1991 when the Elected Presidency was created.
The first was in 1993, when former Accountant-General Chua Kim Yeow and former Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong contested.
The IPS survey sought to understand the factors behind voters' choices.
The 2,025 respondents were asked which of 11 statements described the roles of the President.
Of these 11 statements, only five were aligned with the government's interpretation of the office.
Forty-two per cent got six or more correct and only one per cent was able to identify all "correct" and "incorrect" statements.
Representing Singapore in foreign relations was the most recognised role, with 94 per cent answering correctly, but respondents were unclear over whether the President is allowed to speak publicly on national issues.
Fifty-seven per cent agreed with the official view that the Elected President could not speak unless advised by the government.
Seventy-five per cent said 'yes' when asked if the Elected President could speak on issues he thinks are important.
The survey found that among the top three roles that shaped a voter's choice, the top two did not fall within the official interpretation. These were, "to ensure that the government manages the economy wisely" and "to ensure that the government does what it promised in the general election".
The third most important role was the President's veto powers over the reserves. This, IPS said, reflects the level of opinion and expectation the public has over the office.
Presenting the results on Tuesday, Dr Gillian Koh of the Institute of Policy Studies said the gap in understanding corresponded with statements made by candidates in the presidential election during campaigning period.
The senior research fellow said more education is needed.
She said: "I think the level of opinion in our findings can be due to a couple of things. First, [that] the institution of the Elected Presidency is very young, is extremely complex. And second, it is put to the vote. So people feel that with a mandate that is from the ground, it should actually allow the President to do much more than what is actually stipulated."
As for characteristics of candidates, respondents valued honesty, fairness and the ability to represent the country well, with a score of 4.5 and above out of five points.
Independence from political parties mattered less, scoring 3.5 points. The majority of those who said it was important were from low-income groups and the lower occupational classes.
Respondents were also less concerned about picking a candidate whose views on national issues ran parallel to theirs.
The survey found that in general, the higher the income and education levels of respondents, the more knowledgeable they were.
This same group also tended to be more critical of the system, and more likely to support change. For instance, they were more likely to agree that political parties and social organisations and unions should not be allowed to endorse candidates.
As with the May general election, the Internet played a significant role as a medium of communication, particularly among younger respondents earning higher incomes.
However, newspapers and television remained the top two sources of information across respondents and also had a bigger influence over voting decisions.
Among websites cited, Facebook was the most commonly read while Channel NewsAsia website was rated highest among respondents aged 21-29, those who were most highly educated and who were most knowledgeable about the Elected Presidency.
People generally don’t care about the role and function of our President simply as we did not have a say on who we want until recently since Mr Ong time.
If you ask the man on the street, the general feeling is that our President is just a puppet, opps, a symbolic one.
The role and functions are not clear and I remember is just keep changing and only until the recent presidential election that we got some surprising enlightenment from the cabinets on the limiter power or shall I say non existing power he have.
Then why is he pay so much?
Maybe Tony should get 1/3 of the pay since only 1/3 of Singaporean voted for him.
Just wondering is he still getting his pension on top of his president’s salary?
Grossly imbalance our society is if you ask me.
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