TR EMERITUS

Death toll from mainland China caused by the Wuhan Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has surpassed the number of fatalities in the 2002-2003 SARS pandemic , as authorities enforce ever-stricter desperate measures to curb the further spread with millions of Chinese gradually returning to work after the extended Lunar New Year holiday. As of 0830 hours on Sunday (9 Feb), the number of deaths reported in China climbed to 812, surpassing the 774 recorded worldwide during the 2002-2003 SARS pandemic. A 60-year-old American citizen was among the new fatalities in Wuhan, being the first foreigner in China to die from the Coronavirus infection. A Japanese citizen who was a suspected case in Wuhan also died. In a possibly hopeful sign, the 2019-nCoV virus that is of the same family of Coronavirus as SARS, has proven far less deadly, with a mortality rate of around 2-3%, Chinese authorities said. In comparison, SARS killed 9.6% of those who caught it, according to the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, Singapore has registered another 7 confirmed cases, bringing the total to 40, second placed to Japan which has 89. Of the 7 new cases, 2 of the people may have been infected via community spread as they have never been to China or have any contacts or links with those already confirmed infected. Among the 40 confirmed cases, 4 are reportedly in critical condition, with 1 requiring additional oxygen support.        Read More →

If you don't want to read all of the 39 pages of our climate change policy, here's a summary. What seems to be the problem and what's it to us? As the climate change crisis confronting our planet deepens, Singapore will not be spared its consequences. With rising global temperatures, polar ice-caps will melt and sea-levels will rise. This will flood our coastal areas. It will also heat up our island and cause health risks. Singapore is heating up twice as fast as other parts of the world. Such a phenomenon will also wreak havoc with the weather in the region such as prolonged dry seasons and excessive rainfall. It will adversely affect agriculture in our neighbouring countries on which much of our food supply depends. Warm sea temperatures will also cause marine life to die. All this will have a profound effect on food prices in Singapore - assuming that there is still enough food to go around. (SDP's Young Democrats launched the policy today. Read the report here or watch the event here.) So what's causing the warming? ​​​​​​The cause of climate change is driven largely by the release of greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere primarily through the burning of fossil fuels (like oil and gas) to produce power that enables us to go about our daily lives (like driving and turning on the air-con). The burning of such fuels in Singapore through our oil refineries has made us a major emitter of greenhouse gases. Is the government doing anything about it? The PAP's lack of decisive and expeditious action to arrest the problem means that Singapore is woefully underperforming when it comes to meeting emission-cutting targets required to slow down and reverse global warming. Click to enlarge A group called The Climate Action Tracker monitors the progress that countries make in fighting climate change. It ranks Singapore under the "highly insufficient" category. The present arrangement is untenable and something needs to be done and done urgently if we want to leave the planet and our country habitable for future generations. So what's the SDP's plan? Briefly, the SDP will: Incentivise and mandate motorists to switch to electric vehicles. To achieve this, we will move to ramp up the installation of chargers needed for such vehicles across the island. The target is to have 25 percent of cars on our roads be electric ones by 2030, 50 percent by 2040 and fully electrified by 2050. Expand our use of renewable energy, especially solar power. With technology developing rapidly in harnessing clean energy, prices of electricity from such sources have tumbled making them viable alternatives to oil and gas. SDP will accelerate the installation of solar panels in public spaces, significantly increase R&D funding on solar projects, buy renewable energy from other countries, and collaborate with neighbouring countries to develop clean energy. Regulate the escalation of our population size. Our city is already one of the most densely populated spots in the world. With the cramming of more and more people onto an already crowded island through an overly lax immigration policy, forests and nature reserves are being cleared and disturbed to make way for more construction for housing and transportation. The loss of the island's "lungs" as well as our biodiversity is incalculable. Firmly enforce the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act by prosecuting business entities operating in Singapore that are linked with companies engaged in forest-burning in Indonesia. Significantly upgrade Singapore's Nationally Determined Contributions that we signed under the Paris Agreement to lower and eventually remove harmful emissions. Finally, prohibit corporations from manufacturing products that depend on single-use packaging as well as inculcate among our people the desirable habit of recycling. But didn't Minister Vivian Balakrishnan say that Singapore is a "well-designed future-ready city"? Yes, but while the PAP talks a good game about taking action on climate change, evidence points to a lack of political will and urgency to ensure a future for Singapore that is smart, sustainable and green. It continues to drag its feet over implementing pressing and meaningful measures to slow down and even reverse climate change. Case in point: Climate Action Tracker's assessment. This alternative policy is but the SDP's contribution to the on-going struggle to cultivate a Singapore that future generations can live in, free of the ravages of a planet destroyed by our greed and thoughtlessness. The SDP calls on all Singaporeans, regardless of political persuasion and background, to join in the supreme effort of turning around decades of degrading the very place that we depend on for our continued existence and happiness. Read our policy Climate Change in Singapore: Taking Urgent Measures Towards a Smart and Green Future here. Singapore Democrats .  Read More →

The minister for health issued DORSCON orange. It led to a panic with many people rushing to buy and stockpile food. What would happen when we get DORSCON red? I suggest that the govt starts preparation for food rationing. It should work like this. a) The govt has access to stockpiles of essential food. They are kept in SAF army camps. b) When rationing starts, the food are packed in boxes representing two weeks supply for one person. These are of non perishable food, such as rice, sugar, noodles. These rations are provide free of charge. c) The food are distributed using SAF trucks to the residents at collection points, which are at the HDB blocks or condo blocks. d) The residents are notified of the time of distribution. They come with their NRIC and collect the boxes for their household. Those who cannot come can authorize a neighbor to collect for them or can keep the coupons for collecting in another fortnight's time. e) As the distribution is highly decentralized, there is no need to handle large crowds and long queues. When the essential items are taken care off, there is no need for people to panic and rush for food. They can buy other supplies, such as vegetables and fruits, from the traditional sources. If they need more than the rations provided by the govt, they can buy them from the shops and pay the normal retail price. I hope that this is a useful suggestion.   Tan Kin Lian      Read More →