TR EMERITUS

I sense some jealousy or sour grapes in this article. Those people made their fortune because they have worked hard. My parents always say 一分耕耘，一分收获。 (Ed: The Chinese idiom means - "You get out of what you put into it") They probably toiled very hard to reach this current financial status. If they want to become grassroots leader, then all the better right? Despite their busy schedule, they are contributing back to the society. They are good examples for others to follow. More rich people should be like them. Come out and volunteer, do something for the community. 虽然平时工作繁忙,他们仍热心参与公益活动,回馈社会. 赞！ (Translation: Although usually busy, they are still enthusiastic to participate in public activities, contributing to the community. Praise!)   Sour Grapes * Comment appeared in: Grassroots movement has gotten worse in S’pore    Read More →

Singapore Underdog made good I refer to the 25 July 2014 Straits Times letter “Underdog made good” by Mr Jeremy Cheong Weng Kee. Mr Cheong characterized Singapore in 1965 as the underdog that overcame the odds to succeed. Far from it, Singapore was already ranked Third in Asia and 29th out of 109 countries in output side per capita GDP (2005 PPP USD) back in 1965 (Penn World tables version 8.0), not top notch but neither underdog either. We were also more than just the underdogs because: • Singapore had become a global port that could rival any other in the world by the time the Suez Canal opened in 1869 and with the advent of the steamship revolution in the latter half of the nineteenth century [Derek Thiam Soon Heng, Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied, Singapore in Global History, page 57] • Singapore was already the estimated 5th or 6th most important port in the world by the early 1930s and the key port in the Straits region by the late 19th century [Goh Kim Chuan, Environment and development in the Straits of Malacca, pages 107, 114] • Singapore was the most important communications centre in the Far East, not just for shipping but a focal point for airlines, telecommunications and mail distribution at the beginning of the 1950s • Singapore was the biggest market in the world for natural rubber, an important international market specializing in tin futures and a major oil distribution centre in the inter-war period • Singapore had extensive numbers of high quality entrepreneurs and substantial industry and a skilled labour force, not least in ship repair prior to independence • The first estimates of Singapore national income in 1956 showed rapidly rising per capita income that was very much greater than almost anywhere else in Asia • Singapore had already experienced considerable economic development before World War II • Singapore in the mid-1950s had 30 people per private car compared to 70 for British Malaya and more than 120 for the rest of Asia [The Economic Growth of Singapore: Trade and Development in the Twentieth Century, W. G. Huff, pages 31-33] Mr Cheong reminded us of the many resilient people capable of extraordinary things Singapore was blessed with. One such resilient person was Dr Toh Chin Chye whom Dr Goh Keng Swee credited as the one who nudged both him and Lee Kuan Yew to snap out of their anguished moods. • During the Big Split … Dr Goh Keng Swee … recalled Dr Toh Chin Chye visiting him in his Fullerton Building office in 1961, after seeing Mr Lee, saying: ‘I have just come from Harry’s office. He was staring at the ceiling just like you did. You should snap out of this mood. The fighting has just begun. It is going to be long and nasty. But if we keep wringing our hands in anguish, we are sure to lose. [Straits Times, What if there had been no Toh Chin Chye?, 4 Feb 2012] Another resilient person capable of extraordinary things was Dr Albert Winsemius: • Dr Winsemius and I.F. Tang made extraordinary contributions to the economic development of Singapore as leader and secretary of the first UN Industrialisation Survey Team in 1961. [Ngiam Tong Dow, A Mandarin and the Making of Public Policy: Reflections, page 66] • Lee’s dismay was also not shared by the country’s most prominent foreign advisor. Winsemius, the former leader of the UN development mission and now a regular consultant to the Singapore government, said in an interview in 1981 … to my amazement, a discussion had started: can Singapore survive? That was the only time I got angry in Singapore. I said: ‘now you have your hands free – use them!’ It was the best thing that happened during the whole period from 1960 till today. [Sikko Visscher, The business of politics and ethnicity: a history of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, page 171] Uniquely Singapore way to fund needs I refer to excerpts from the 27 Feb 2014 Straits Times article “Uniquely Singapore way to fund needs”. The article referred to Singapore as a Third World country which our pioneer generation contributed to. Using data from the Penn World Tables, it can be shown that Singapore back in 1965 was no longer a Third World country but a middle income nation. 1965 per capita GDP / GNP / GNI GDP per capita (output) GDP per capita (expenditure) GDP per capita (average) Real per capita GDP (chained PPP, 2005 USD) from PWT 8.0 $6,279 $2,957 $4,618 Real per capita GNP (chained PPP, 2005 USD) using PWT 7.1's GNP to GDP ratio $6,449 $3,037 $4,743 Real per capita GNP (chained PPP, 2011 USD) converted by comparing World Bank's current GNI and 2011 GNI for 2005 $7,229 $3,404 $5,317 World Bank classification by income Upper middle income status Lower middle income status Upper middle income status Thank you Ng Kok Lim Straits Times, Bouquets - Underdog made good, 25 July 2014 SOME Straits Times readers might ask why there is so much hype over a British artist drawing Singapore's cityscape ("Artist finishes drawing S'pore from memory"; Monday). My answer would be that Mr Stephen Wiltshire, who was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old, represents the underdog made good. He is testament that disability does not limit the strength of the human mind. Similarly, in 1965, Singapore was an underdog in the eyes of the world when it gained independence. But, like Mr Wiltshire, it overcame the odds to succeed. From the outside, Singapore seems like an ordinary nation, but on closer examination, one would find that this country is filled with resilient people who are capable of doing extraordinary things. Jeremy Cheong Weng Kee Straits Times, Uniquely Singapore way to fund needs, 27 Feb 2014 SINGAPORE - Budget 2014 is eldercentric and, in particular, pioneer-centric. It sends a clear assurance to Singapore's pioneering generation that, having made significant contributions to Singapore when it was a Third World country, they can now retire with health-care security in a First World nation.  Read More →

In a statement today (28 Jul), LTA said that if Malaysia increases its toll charges at the Causeway, Singapore will do likewise - it will match the Malaysians in due course. This is because it has been Singapore's practice to peg its tolls to match those set by Malaysia at the Causeway and the Second Link, LTA said. LTA cited reports saying Malaysia will raise toll charges for all vehicles except motorcycles travelling from Singapore to Johor through the Causeway. LTA noted that these causeway toll changes are different from Malaysia's earlier announcement to impose an entry fee on foreign-registered vehicles entering Johor. Yesterday (27 Jul), it was reported by the New Straits Times ('New toll charges at Causeway') that Malaysia will impose a new toll rate on motorists entering Singapore through the Causeway via the Sultan Iskandar Building (SIB) starting August 1. It said the new toll rate is to commensurate with the better facilities and services at the SIB. Under the new toll structure, a car driver will have to pay RM6.80 when exiting Malaysia and another RM9.70 when entering Malaysia through the SIB. This means the toll collection for a return trip is RM16.50 (S$6.50). The present toll rate is RM2.90 (S$1.10), which is collected when entering Malaysia through the SIB. Buses would pay RM13.30 (S$5.20) to and from Singapore, while taxis would be charged RM8.20 (S$3.20) per two-way trip. Based on calculations, the toll hike from August 1 is more than four times the existing amount. LTA said Singapore has not received any official word on the new increase in toll charges, from Malaysian authorities, and has requested for official confirmation of the media reports. LTA said that with regards to the proposed entry fee on foreign-registered vehicles entering Johor, Singapore had earlier contacted the Malaysian government to seek details. It is awaiting Malaysia's reply before deciding on its response. It is estimated that more than 95,000 motorcyclists go through the Causeway daily, where a majority work in Singapore.    Read More →