TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent In a recent online survey conducted on Flowerpod forum, 17.5 per cent of the ladies polled claimed they washed their bras only once a week: 13 wash them only once every two weeks and 5 do so only once a month. Shin Min Daily quoted a gynaecologist from Gleneagles Hospital saying that it not necessary to change bras everyday for women who are working in air-conditioned offices and who sweat very little. For women who sweat easily, he advised them to change their bras a few times daily to prevent bacteria from proliferating inside them. As they carry bacteria such as Staphylococcus Aureus which can enter the body through open wounds and causing skin and soft tissue infection, women who just delivered should change their bras even more frequently. Most podders who posted in the subsequent discussion said they usually wash their bras daily for hygiene purposes.  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent An irate reader tipped us off about a discriminatory job advertisement against Singapore citizens in a local online job portal, Jobstreet, claiming he was told that the position on offer is reserved only for PRs after he called up to make inquiries about it. He later realized that he had missed out the small print in the ad - requirement: Singapore PR holder: He retorted angrily: "I told them I am a local graduate with 5 years of experience in the retail industry, I can cook and I do not mind working night shifts during the weekend, but still the girl told me that they are looking only for PRs!!! Why did I serve 2 and a half years of National Service for???" PAP leaders have been claiming for years that foreign workers (including PRs) are needed to take up jobs shunned by Singaporeans. The post of a retail operations manager can be easily filled by a Singapore citizen. The SME will probably encounter few difficulties recruiting a Singapore, why is it looking specifically for a foreigner? According to recent figures from the Manpower Ministry, the unemployment rate of Singapore residents is only 3 per cent last year. However its figures does not give a complete picture of the reality on the ground as "residents" include both citizens and PRs. Furthermore, it also left out citizens on contract jobs or who have given up searching for a job altogether. Though companies need to fill a quota for Singapore workers first before they can employ a foreign worker, it can be easily circumvented by getting earlier arrivals to apply for PRs which are usually granted within a year. The media reported last year of a China national and Singapore PR Zhang Yuanyuan who obtained her PR within 2 months of application. Two out of three PR applicants are successful. The PAP is so desperate for immigrants that it is giving out Singapore PRs and citizenships like toilet papers to construction workers, cleaners, masseurs and even prostitutes who cannot speak a single word of English. Due to the PAP's pro-foreigner policy, foreign workers now make up a third of Singapore's labor force. If PRs are included, the figure could approach 50 per cent. In the past, foreign workers are only employed in sectors with a shortage of local workers, but they are not ubiquitous everywhere. One need only pay a visit to the Singapore Post and POSB Bank in Toa Payoh Central to realize that half its counter staff are Filipinos and Malaysians. Foreigners are preferred to Singaporeans by employers due to their relatively lower cost and willingness to work for long hours under grueling conditions, especially PRs who are exempted from the foreign worker levy. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial reported that the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore in the last few years has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living especially that of public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall decline in the standard of living. Singapore's income gap between the rich and the poor has widened considerably during the same period. Foreign workers helped to reduce labor costs and boost GDP figures artificially. A certain percentage of PAP ministers' multi-million salary package is pegged to annual GDP growth. While many countries like Australia and Britain are protecting their local workforce from competition with foreign workers, the PAP said it is unable to "shield" Singaporeans from it. Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said lately that there will be no "turnaround" in the PAP's lax labor policies and the number of foreign workers may actually increase in the next few years. At the rate the PAP is mass importing foreigners who now make up 36 per cent of Singapore's population into Singapore, it is only a matter of time before we are relegated to become a minority in our own country. Such advertisements as above are commonly found in Singapore's online job portals which are flooded with employers looking for foreigners. Singaporeans may stand a better chance getting a job by giving up their citizenships first and returning as a PR or expatriate and it can be guaranteed that the PAP will roll out the red carpet to welcome them. EDITORS' NOTE: If you encounter the "duplicate post" error when posting comments on our site, post again by clicking on the "submit" button and hold it for at least 5 seconds. We are still working to resolve the problem and we appeal for your kind understanding and patience.  Read More →

By Gabriel Chen from Straits Times TEMASEK Holdings has launched an investment company with a war chest of up to $5 billion. Called Seatown Holdings, the firm will be headed by Mr Charles Ong, currently Temasek's chief strategist, and be based at The Atrium at Orchard. As yet, Temasek has not disclosed the exact sum of money at Seatown's disposal, or its investment strategy. But sources said that it will seed the firm with between $2 billion and $5 billion and that it will be structured along 'much more commercial' lines. This could mean the inclusion of 'entrepreneurs' on its board. Many observers predict Seatown, which is the English word for Temasek, will adopt a multi-strategy approach, investing in a range of assets rather than purely stocks and bonds. The wholly owned firm could even allow Singaporeans to co-invest with the state firm in emerging markets - a concept Temasek chief executive Ho Ching floated some months ago. A small core team has been seconded from Temasek to run the outfit, with more personnel expected to come on board in the coming weeks. Acting as co-chief executive alongside Mr Ong at Seatown will be Mr Nasser Ahmad, with Ms Margaret Lui assuming the role of chief operating officer. Mr Ahmad is co-founder of New York-based hedge-fund firm DiMaio Ahmad Capital LLC, while Ms Lui is managing director of investments at Temasek. The unveiling of Seatown comes at a time of stepped-up bond market activity for Temasek. Since October last year, it has raised more than $4 billion through bond sales. Analysts have suggested that Seatown will eventually take in third-party money, allowing the public to jointly invest with it in projects. Read rest of article on Straits Times  Read More →