TR EMERITUS

From our Correspondent According to the latest news release from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) board posted on its website, it will be applying a new floor rate of 2.5% interest for all CPF accounts after 31 December 2009 (Source: CPF) The government has been maintaining the 4% floor rate for savings in the Special Medisave and Retirement Accounts (SMRA) for two years from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009. The interest rate for SMRA is pegged to the 12-month average yield of the 10-year Singapore Government Security plus 1% for this entire period of time. The lower interests rate mean that Singaporeans will have less savings in their medisave accounts to be used for medical expenses and retirement account to depend on during their golden years. In fact their value will probably depreciate with time as the interest (floor) rate of 2.5% is far below the annual inflation rate of 4 to 6%. Last year, inflation hit a record high of 6.7% The CPF was originally introduced in 1967 to help Singaporeans saved for their old age. Singapore workers are required under the law to contribute 20% of their monthly savings into the CPF together with a lesser percentage from their employers. The medisave account was subsequently set aside from the holders' ordinary accounts to pay for hospitalization bills. Most Singaporeans use the funds in their ordinary accounts to service the mortage loans of their homes. Due to the rising prices of HDB flats, more and more Singaporeans are having insufficient savings in their CPFs left for retirement needs as they are used to repay the bank loans. The government has rolled out a series of initiatives to help Singaporeans cope with the impending crisis by increasing the retirement age to 62, urging employers to re-hire elderly workers, raising the minimum sum in CPF and introducing a CPF Life (annuity) scheme which will give a monthly allowance to Singaporeans after they retire from working life. While the cost of living has increased steadily over the last few years, especially that of HDB flats, the wages of Singaporeans have not kept pace with it. The lower income group is the hardest hit as the wages had remained stagnant for the last decade due to the relentless influx of foreign workers. The government's open-door policy towards foreigners and the lax criteria for granting PRs had led to an increase in the number of PRs in Singapore. They are allowed to buy resale HDB flats thereby contributing to their demand and eventually prices. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan admitted recently that the price of HDB resale flats had reached a record high and will continue to rise. However, he was quick to add that HDB flats remain "affordable". Despite repeated reassurances from the ministers and HDB that public housing is affordable to the masses and that the inflationary housing market helps to generate wealth for the people, many are still not convinced. Recent letters to the Straits Times Forum highlighting the high prices of HDB flats by concerned readers are brushed aside by HDB with the often quoted answer that their prices lie below the internationally accepted benchmark of housing affordability. Young Singaporeans who have limited savings in their CPFs will be stretched to their limits to start a family under present circumstances. For Singaporeans who just bought their homes, a grim prospect awaits them that they may end up with literally nothing in their CPFs after paying off their housing loans over a period of 30 years.  Read More →

By Lim Sue Goan from Sin Chew Daily MCA's infighting is a reflection for BN's plight and crisis. Its president cum Transport Minister wanted to investigate the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal but he was eventually “ambushed from all directions”. And the issue may be listed as an agenda or a main point of Ong's Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).What is the relationship between the PKFZ scandal and the party's EGM? Why does it need the backing of the central delegates? It shows the anxiety of MCA leaders, as well as the powerlessness of BN in its effort to cope with corruption. MCA's power struggle is also the problem faced by other BN member parties. For example, the Supreme Council of People's Progressive Party (PPP) has sacked its Supreme Council member cum Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk T. Murugiah in May; Terengganu UMNO is facing a factional problem and a rumour said that nine of its state assemblymen are going to join Pakatan Rakyat. Meanwhile, MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu's act of appointing his deputy may lead to the discontentment of the grass-roots. BN suffered a great setback in the 8 March general elections and after the withdrawal of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and the defeats in the seven by-elections, BN's morale is low. Some state BN have fallen into hibernation and become inactive. BN must immediately hold a general meeting to boost morale, get a clear picture of its future direction and devise a reform strategy. But since last year's general elections, BN leaders can still unable to set the date and agenda for the meeting. Therefore, its member parties launched their own attacks. MCA President chose PKFZ to try to gain public support while some UMNO leaders continued to play with racial issues in order to attract more Malay support. Also, they pressured Pakatan Rakyat, trying to collapse its regime. They made Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders to register with two party names in order to disperse Indian votes. However, BN's pace is lack of coordination. It has exposed many weaknesses and mistakes. Eventually, it affected the credibility of the government institution. BN's political discourse is too weak to change the political reality. In fact, Pakatan Rakyat is not good in governance and execution. But BN is facing too many internal problems that have shaken the people's confidence. Thus, BN's priority is to straighten out its internal part and change its rough operation system. They should not let the people think that BN has always been fighting for power without caring about the people's hardships and sufferings. BN will further lose Chinese Votes because of MCA's struggle. But it not only a problem for MCA as BN does not leave a space for MCA to give full play to its ability. On the other hand, BN's administration has as well lead to the loss of votes. MIC has remained unchanged over all these years. How is it going to have appeal? Perak Pakatan Rakyat is still playing with the card of sadness with the intention to always remind the people about the way BN seized the state's power. The public knows that Paktan Rakyat is deliberately evoking emotions but many still compassionate it. It is a crisis for BN. And when Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ridiculed MCA, not many Chinese associations came out to defend MCA. It is a sorrow for MCA. Source: mysinchew.com  Read More →

From our Correspondent The debate which took Singapore by storm six months ago over women NGO Aware's sex education programme in schools look set to be reignited again over a set of international guidelines on sex education. An earlier draft of the  guidelines, due to be released next week by UNESCO, recommend discussions of homosexuality, describing sexual abstinence as "only one of a range of choices available to young people" – and suggesting a discussion of masturbation with children. Its recommendations mark an uncanny similiarity to Aware's Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) programme, which was suspended by the Ministry of Education (MOE) following an online petition started by a gruop of "concerned parents". Aware was earlier wrecked by an internal dispute which threatened to split the organization when a group of newcomers, six of whom belonged to the same Church of our Savior (COOS) seized control of its CEC during the annual Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March. It later turned out that the six, including the President Josie Lau acted on the instructions of a self-proclaimed feminist mentor Thio Su Mien, who expressed her "aghast and disgust" against Aware's CSE. She had wanted to introduce a more "family-oriented" sex education programme in schools through her proteges. However, the Josie's committee lasted only a month or so before it was ousted by supporters of the Aware Old Guards who voted in a new committee led by ex-President Dana Lam. Ms Dana Lam felt UNESCO's guidelines affirmed AWARE's CSE. She said the UNESCO guidelines, which took an "evidence-informed and rights-based" approach, offered "a sound, comprehensive approach to sexuality education". The emphasis "on relationships, values, attitudes, culture, human development, sexual and reproductive health exactly matches the emphasis" in AWARE's CSE programme, she added. Focus on the Family's senior vice-president, Mrs Chong Cheh Hoon, was opposed to the UNESCO guidelines. She found some of the content "highly inappropriate", such as teaching children aged nine to 12 about basic contraception which was part of the Aware's CSE. Focus is an American evangelical organization founded in 1997 by James Dobson. A component of the American Christian right, it is active in promoting inter-denominational work towards its views on social conservative public policy. (source: Wikipedia) For some inexplicable reasons, Focus runs a weekly column on TODAY, a supposedly secular mainstream paper. A MOE spokesperson said it is still "studying the revised guidelines to see how useful and relevant they are to the current review of Sexuality Education in our schools." The release of the revised guidelines is likely to trigger another round of intense lobbying by conservative groups to MOE. Though international studies have shown that the teaching of contraceptive use is more effective than the message of abstinence alone to reduce the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases through unsafe sexual practices, some conservatives felt that it will promote pre-marital sex despite evidence on the contrary. Ministry of Education Ng Eng Hen has stressed the importance of keeping Singapore schools secular, but he too, may have to give in to the demands of the lobbyists who form a powerful voting bloc and are becoming increasingly active and influential in Singapore.   Related articles: >> Focusing on "Focus on the family": an export of American-style Christian Nationalism by Dogemperor >> Aftermath of Aware EGM: Time for some house-keeping by Eugene Yeo >> The Aware saga: Time to draw a clear line between religion and secularism by Fang Zhi Yuan  Read More →