TR EMERITUS

Singapore Dear Mr Khalid, I refer to the 24 Jul 2014 Straits Times report "UN director’s praise for Singapore" of your praise for Singapore. Third World to First? Singapore isn’t the only economy that has done well progressing to First World in a very short time but one of four East Asian dragon economies including South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. There is no need to overly praise Singapore for what seems to be the common East Asian success story. We must not blindly parrot the phrase “Third World to First” without first being clear and precise about what Third World or First means. Is a First World nation: • an Advanced Economy according to the IMF? • one with the highest Human Development Index according the UN? • one placed in the highest income category according to World Bank? For example, Chile and Kuwait do not make it into IMF’s list of advanced economies so by IMF definition they are not First World. But are they Third World then? Certainly not because these countries made it to UN’s list of countries having the highest levels of human development. We must not make the mistake of regarding a nation that isn’t First World as automatically being Third World. That was Singapore’s situation back in 1965, we weren’t First World then, but neither were we Third World. Carl Trocki classifies Singapore as being of middle income status back in 1960: • Our per capita GDP in 1960 was already $1,330 which gave us a middle-income status [Carl A. Trocki, Singapore: wealth, power and the culture of control, page 166] Using data from the Penn World Tables, it can be shown that we were already of Upper Middle Income status according to World Bank classification back in 1965. 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 Thus, Singapore did not progress from Third World to First since independence but from Middle Income status to First instead. This is the best portrayal of our progress towards the First World since it is the only one that is based on data stretching back to the 1960s. Bringing races together? Singapore didn’t just have racial cohesion under the present government. Singapore already had racial cohesion during colonial times as these evidences attest to: • Racial Harmony In Malaya To those who know their Malaya from one end to the other, no less than to the casual visitor, it is a constant source of wonder how so many different races and communities live and work together in the utmost harmony ... we repeat, that the different communities live and work in harmony because the British system of justice and administration enables them to obtain fair play. There are no discriminatory or repressive laws, there are few, if any race prejudices in the bazaars and counting houses, there is nothing to prevent the humblest coolie from rising to great wealth - many indeed have done so ... [The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 26 July 1935, Page 8] • MALAYA'S RACIAL HARMONY IMPRESSES "It is a pleasing feature of life in Malaya that there is not merely a complete absence of friction but much cordiality in the relations between the different races inhabiting it. It is quite common to find Malays, Chinese and Indian all living the same street in perfect harmony and apparently, with some degree of intimacy." The Mui-Tsai Commission Report Chapter VIII. [The Straits Times, 1 March 1937, Page 13] • SINO-MALAYAN AMITY IMPRESSES GEN. WU It makes me happy to see the Chinese and other peoples here co-operating so well with each other. [The Straits Times, 15 November 1940, Page 11] • The Malayan Melting-Pot The Sultan of Perak ... "I wish to say to you that Chinese and Malay in the past eighty years before the coming of the Japanese lived side by side in absolute peace. The Chinese lived in the midst of Malays without any trace of fear, and the Chinese also fearlessly and peacefully pursued his vocation in any Malay settlement ... Here in Singapore we are constantly impressed by the easy, natural and friendly relationships existing between Eurasians, Straits Chinese, Straits-born Indians and others who went to school together and now meet each other in adult life ... Boys - and girls - of the local-born communities who sit side by side in the classrooms of Raffles Institution and St. Joseph's and St. Andrew's and the A.C.S., learn to become unconscious of racial differences, to meet on common ground, and to accept each other simply as Singaporeans - not as members of this racial community or that. Naturally this process is more penetrating in the secondary schools than in the elementary ones, because the influence of the school is exerted for a longer period and in years of higher mental awakening ... [The Straits Times, 25 May 1946, Page 4] • S'pore an 'example' of race harmony Singapore has set an example to the world of racial harmony, said Mr. T. P. F. McNeice, President, in reply to Mr. C. F. J. Ess, at the meeting of the City Council yesterday. [The Straits Times, 29 September 1951, Page 5] • Duchess praises 'one people' idea The Duchess of Kent, the first Royal Freeman of the City of Singapore, said yesterday that its people were engaged upon a project of far-reaching significance - the casting into one mould of elements derived from many different cultures. "This plan in itself testifies to the good will and good sense so characteristic of the people of this island,' she said. [The Straits Times, 2 October 1952, Page 1] • Police help island troop to learn sailing Singapore's 84th Pulau Tekong Sea-Scout Troop is certainly helping to strengthen the bonds of friendship among Malays and Chinese on the island. It is undoubtedly a Sino-Malay affair for half of its 20 members are drawn from each race. Even the four patrol leaders in the troop are equally divided on a communal basis. Members of each patrol, however, are mixed. [The Singapore Free Press, 17 July 1953, Page 12] • Our racial harmony inspiration to bishop An American Negro bishop said in Singapore yesterday that complete racial harmony among students and teachers in Colony schools was an inspiration to him. He said it proved his theory that if you get people of all races close enough together for them to smile at each other racial pride and prejudices will vanish quickly [The Straits Times, 30 September 1954, Page 4] • 'See yourselves as just one people' Governor's advice to teachers The people of Singapore must not think of themselves in terms of their racial and language loyalties, but as Singaporeans, the Governor, Sir William Goode, said yesterday. Schools must be Singapore schools, not English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil schools ... In 1953, he said, English was the only medium of instruction at the college, but today they worked in English, Malay and Chinese. "In this way too the different races in the Colony can be welded into a united people with a common loyalty and a common pride in Singapore and a united determination to work for the good of Singapore." [The Straits Times, 12 October 1958, Page 7] • U.S. TEACHERS 'IMPRESSED' Eighteen American teachers (above) from 11 states left for Bangkok by CPA this morning after a four-day stay here ... Prof. Mulder said they were impressed by the racial harmony they had observed in Singapore and had come to know the state much better. [The Singapore Free Press, 16 July 1959, Page 10] • TELLING THE PEOPLE So many races, but one nation If a world list were compiled of countries enjoying high degree of inter-racial harmony Singapore would undoubtedly occupy a leading position. Here people of various races work, play and live together happily as one nation. They help each other in time of difficulty. They rejoice in each other's happiness. And they share each other's grief. Such is the respect, understanding and goodwill between the Malay, Chinese, Indian, European and other races living here that visitors in Singapore have often praised the State as an example for the rest of the world to follow. The latest visitor to express this view is Mrs. A. Qugley, formerly of the Chicago Tribune, who passed through the State during a tour of the Far East. She said that "the people here must be extremely proud of themselves for the "really great" racial harmony that was evident [The Singapore Free Press, 6 July 1961, Page 6] Gainful employment? Singapore does not define a poverty line even though it can be done. Given our high GINI inequality, it can be expected that a sizeable number of Singaporeans have salaries that fall below our poverty line if one is ever defined and those who fall below the line should not be considered as having gainful employment. To conclude, the success that you congratulate Singapore for today can be traced back to colonial times. Let's not forget to praise Singaporean forefathers who helped lay a strong foundation for Singapore during colonial times. Thank you Ng Kok Lim Straits Times, UN director's praise for Singapore, 24 Jul 2014 A UNITED Nations body has praised Singapore for its policies promoting social and racial harmony. Mr Khalid Malik, from the UN Development Programme, told The Straits Times that the country has done well to progress from a Third-World nation to a First-World one in a short span of time. "What I also see is very positive is (that) Singapore has managed to bring many groups and races together into a cohesive sense of being a Singaporean," he said ahead of yesterday's release of the latest Human Development Report. Mr Khalid, the report's lead author and director of the Human Development Report Office, noted that the report found that cohesive societies tend to do better in developing their citizens. This, in turn, increases the country's ability to deal with crises, such as a natural disaster or a man-made one like the global financial meltdown in 2008. He added in the interview on July 10 that Singapore also shines in providing plenty of gainful employment. But he added that the country has issues to address as well. "It has also some challenges... of a certain amount of inequality; the lower end of the scale of Singaporeans are not benefiting as much as possible."  Read More →

Singapore beat Malaysia 3-0 in the women's team table tennis final to secure a fourth straight gold in the event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow yesterday (27 Jul). In the final, Yu Mengyu lost her first game against Malaysia's Sock Khim Ng 11-7. But she fought through and win the next three games 11-5, 11-9, 11-9. Singapore's top seed Feng Tianwei produced a controlled performance with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 easy win over Lee Wei Beh of Malaysia. Then, Lin Ye and Yu edged a tight match against Malaysians Ying Ho and Lee Wei in the doubles. The Malaysians managed to claw back the second set against Lin and Yu. But amid the loud cheers from the Singaporean fans, who included Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sam Tan, Lin and Yu found their way to clinch a 3-1 win (11-9, 11-13, 11-9 and 11-5) over the Malaysians. Mr Sam Tan said, "The crowd was enthusiastic and the atmosphere electric. In the end our paddlers won over Malaysia in the finals." Singapore Chinese players will now look to continue their run of success in the singles and doubles events and are strong favourites for a clean sweep of the gold medals in table tennis. The Commonwealth Games (known as the British Empire Games from 1930–1950, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954–1966, and British Commonwealth Games from 1970–1974) is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes only from the Commonwealth countries. They are countries mostly from territories of the former British Empire. Hence, the traditional table tennis giants like China, Japan and Korea are not in the game. Since the retirements of Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, a new crop of players have surfaced in the Singapore's women team. The team now has: Yu Mengyu Lin Ye Isabelle Li Zhou Yihan Feng Tianwei Except for Singaporean girl Isabelle Li, the rest were all hailed from China. Feng was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang province [Link]. Yu was from Liaoning province. She was formerly a silver medalist in China's under-17 national competition [Link]. Zhou Yihan was from the eastern province of Shandong and Lin Ye was from Hunan [Link]. Retirements of Li and Wang After their retirements, Wang Yuegu went to Germany while Li Jiawei relocated back to Beijing. Li married a China businessman Li Chao, who is based in Beijing. A lavish wedding banquet was held at the Beijing Hotel in April 2009. Li announced her retirement in December 2012 [Link]. Wang announced her retirement in August 2012. She told the media then that she wanted to spend more time with her mother and her husband Gabriel Lee, a Taiwanese based in Germany. She indicated that she would like to start a family, and to study economics and management, or sport psychology. She said, "It's the right time to leave. I'm getting old, I've been injured, and I've a family now. It's time to give our youth paddlers a chance." [Link] With regard to Wang's retirement, Yahoo reported a comment made by a local table tennis fan at that time [Link], "To be honest I would expect her (Wang) to stay here to coach the next generation. But I wouldn't be surprised and upset if she returns to China. I don't think the China-born players are proud to be Singaporeans anyway." So, do you think newly naturalised Singaporeans like Yu, Lin, Zhou and Feng will continue to stay in Singapore after their eventual retirements? Would they follow the footsteps of Li and Wang leaving Singapore after Singapore taxpayers have invested millions in them? What do you think?  Read More →

Daniel Yap I'm a pretty fit guy. I've always gotten gold for my IPPT and I've always been physically active, playing sports several times a week. That is until my first child was born. After 12 straight years of IPPT gold, I added some 50 seconds to my 2.4km run timing the year after I became a dad. The following year, I added another 30 seconds. Then another 30. These days I'm hanging at just under 12 minutes, but who knows how long that will last? I'm happy to walk away with a silver, and $200. Not too shabby, as I still consistently score full points for my other four stations, but I think of myself as well past my physical prime (although my wife would beg to differ). The other 70% of my cohort don't fare as well as I do, unfortunately. But the new IPPT scoring system actually puts me among the fittest of the fit - I could potentially get a gold even under the commando/diver/guards standard... because even though my 2.4km run is pretty meh, I would totally kill at situps and do quite well at pushups. If the SAF wants to give me $400, I'm not going to complain about it, Some people have said that the new regime is "going soft" and represents a drop in standards. There are even some semi-serious Facebook groups on the topic. But let's consider the full ramifications of this change. 1) Resetting the mean. If the passing rate is skewed to only 30% (in my cohort) it becomes more difficult to measure the ends of the spectrum. How fail are failures? Many folks who know they don't have a snowball's chance in hell (because of a critical weakness in ONE station) will show up for the IPPT, then proceed to fail every station (even those you can pass) because, well, WHAT'S THE POINT? Sign up for RT and be done with it. The new system actually gives most guys a fighting chance. And that means more fight. 2) A recognised standard. The US military and Korea already use pushups as part of fitness tests. It's not like we're going off into new territory. 3) Better incentives for incremental improvements. I never bothered to try and put those 2 lost minutes back on my 2.4km run. The effort needed to hit 10:30 reliably was just WAY more than I could afford, but now, every 10 seconds earns me a point, and I can bust ass at situps, instead of stopping at 43 and resting the last 15 seconds. I can aim for 55 now without wasting energy. 4) The financial cost? What about that FCC equipment? A full set of test equipment for one of our FCCs costs millions of dollars. Sure, we could still use two out of five stations, but there would be quite a bit of waste. Also, more people passing and getting incentives means more money paid out, but on the flipside, more people passing means fewer resources being wasted training unmotivated soldiers in RT, and paying them their rank allowance to go through the motions. 5) Bragging rights. I get to start every mention of IPPT with the words "back in my day". I can make up stories about how impossible everything was and how much we suffered, like how all good soldiers do about crap that doesn't involve actual warfare. I'll miss the old stations, but I'm eager to give this new system a whirl, especially when there's an extra couple of hundred bucks in it (and a chance to put that old badge on my uniform again)!   Daniel Yap * Daniel Yap is a husband and father of four living in Singapore. He does freelance writing for advertising and editorial content. He blogs at Signs of Struggle (http://doulosyap.wordpress.com).      Read More →