TR EMERITUS

This is an opinion piece that just cries out to write itself into existence. TTSH & MOH – High Standards of Integrity Press releases are not to be taken lightly. There is usually plenty of time to think through the many possible interpretations for the different audiences intended or that may come to read them. For citizens taking the recent statements put out by TTSH and MOH at their face value, we cannot but applaud them for setting and then holding even their lower-ranking employees to their high corporate standards of integrity. From TTSH, we have “Mr Ngerng’s conduct was incompatible with the values and standards we expect of our employees. While our staff are free to pursue their personal interests outside work, they must conduct themselves properly, honourably and with integrity.” And, “MOH supports TTSH’s decision as Mr Ngerng’s actions show a lack of integrity and are incompatible with the values and standards of behaviour expected of hospital employees.” For both TTSH and MOH to go to such lengths to demonstrate their commitment to integrity is indeed laudable. Both are merely practising what PM Lee has time and again emphasized what Singapore cannot do without: “... maintaining high standards of integrity and honesty is the key differentiator between politics in Singapore and in many other countries.” -  (28 May 2014, on ‘Constructive Politics’ in Parliament) PAP & PM Lee – Consistent Stand on Integrity Every one of the three PMs that Singapore has known thus far has emphasized the supreme importance of integrity at one time or another. “The moment key leaders are less than incorruptible, less than stern in demanding high standards, from that moment the structure of administrative integrity will weaken, and eventually crumble. Singapore can survive only if Ministers and senior officers are incorruptible and efficient.” - (Then PM Lee Kuan Yew, 1979 [Link]) “But it is not just efficiency of the bureaucracy. More important is integrity: integrity of political leaders, public officials and the value system of the country.” - (Mr Goh Chok Tong, 18 Oct 2008) "This is the standard that we must hold ourselves to, and that Singaporeans have rightly come to expect from those in politics, whether in government or opposition. This is why we must take accusations of dishonesty against political leaders very seriously," - (PM Lee Hsien Loong, 13 July 2013, in Parliament when confronting WP on AHPETC’s spring cleaning of hawker centre) Aren’t we Singaporeans so darn fortunate to have leaders who put so much emphasis on the indispensability of integrity in public institutions and life? Integrity Consistency – But For A ‘Toothpick’ Thrown Into The Works “Many restaurants give you toothpicks, but the toothpick is so big it can never go through, but this one is so fine that whatever is inside sure can come out... In fact, can never resist...They always serve in a pack," - he told reporters at BreadTalk Group's new headquarters in Tai Seng. "And because I go there very early - 10.30 in the morning - always full right. And guess what? By the time I left, normally right, it's half left. The other half is in my pocket." - (Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Swee Say, 22 July 2013, on Din Tai Fung’s toothpicks [Link]) Why are we holding lower level employees to the high standards of integrity in the use of office time and resources while completely ignoring a minister in the PMO going to lunch at 1030 hours as a matter of course and snitching on toothpicks? And, as someone astutely pointed out, since SGX trades can only be done from 0900 to 1700 hours working days, how about another minister who could trade shares in the million units and make millions $$$ more there from? Of course, we must state a sparrow or two do not a summer make, that the entire government and civil service is lacking in integrity. But, we must surely recognise ‘it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things’. Hence, could we be looking at ‘the moment’ that LKY speaks of, “The moment key leaders... are less than stern in demanding high standards, from that moment the structure of administrative integrity will weaken, and eventually crumble.” LKY, the wise man that he is, understands that the one who is faithful in little is faithful in much. The question of the moment, then, for PM Lee is, has that moment passed by him now? Or will he put aside his pride or double standards and come through for Singapore somehow? Or is he so distracted with his own personal reputation over a silly infringement from an over-zealous citizen, that he is too far gone to care for the State of the Nation? 2cents * The author blogs @ 2econdsight.  Read More →

According to the latest report from Boston Consulting Group, millionaire households in Singapore formed 10% of the population in Singapore last year. The latest findings showed that Singapore’s density of millionaire households ranks third globally, behind Qatar (17.5%) and Switzerland (12.7%): In Asia, Singapore is, of course, ranked first ahead of Hong Kong (10.0%) and Taiwan (4.2%). In absolute numbers, the United States had the highest number of millionaire households (7.1 million), and the highest number of new millionaires (1.1 million). It is followed by China, where robust wealth creation has led to a rise in millionaire households from 1.5 million in 2012 to 2.4 million in 2013. China has surpassed Japan, where the number of millionaire households fell from 1.5 million to 1.2 million last year. The Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) remains the fastest-growing region for private wealth worldwide, the report stated. Global private wealth is projected to post a compound annual growth rate of 5.4 per cent over the next 5 years to reach an estimated US$198.2 trillion by the end of 2018. The Asia-Pacific region and its new wealth will account for about half of this total growth, BCG predicts, likely overtaking North America as the largest wealth market in four years' time. Even though Singapore may have the highest proportion of millionaire households in Asia, Singapore's income inequality is among the highest in the world, far off from OECD countries ('SG inequality improves but still far off OECD countries'). According to the Department of Statistics’ 2013 report on key household income trends, Singapore’s income inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, was 0.463 last year. If government transfers and taxes were taken into account, the Gini coefficient for 2013 would be 0.412. Gini coefficient ranges from 0 to 1 with zero being total equality to one being total inequality. While income inequality may seem to have improved in Singapore from 2012 to 2013, however, when compared with the advanced OECD countries, Singapore is still way off [Link]: Click to expand. The average Gini coefficient among the 34 OECD countries is only about 0.31. Other than Turkey, Mexico and Chile which have a high Gini coefficient of more than 0.4, the rest of the advanced OECD countries are all below 0.4. Singapore’s income inequality appears closer to that of 3rd world countries. According to the CIA World Factbook, some of the countries with Gini coefficient greater than 0.46 include [Link]: Zimbabwe 0.501 Sri Lanka 0.490 Ecuador 0.485 Mexico 0.483 Peru 0.481 Madagascar 0.475 China 0.473 Dominican Republic 0.472 Bolivia 0.470 El Salvador 0.469 Rwanda 0.468 Singapore 0.463 Malaysia 0.462 Georgia 0.460 South Sudan 0.460  Read More →

As the World Cup is about to begin, Singaporeans are wondering why the Singapore government is so "kiam siap" (Hokkien for "stingy") about the number of free matches they are showing. After all, Singapore is supposed to be a rich country and number one in many things. Why is it that our leaders are not stingy about their own salaries, but are so parsimonious towards the citizenry? After all, it is not every day that we have the World Cup. The World Cup comes around once every 4 years and the government ought to let the people "enjoy a bit" by screening all 64 matches for free. SingTel has secured the sole rights from FIFA to broadcast all 64 World Cup matches for a publicly unknown fee. What is known, however, is that SingTel is charging its customers $105 (before GST) or $112.35 (including GST) to watch the 64 matches. Starhub - Singapore's other broadcaster - is allowed to charge its customers the same $112.35 for all 64 matches under the cross-carriage rule that compels a winning bidder to share its content with other broadcasters. $112.35 is a lot of money for many Singaporeans and they are complaining loudly both online and offline. The following comments by TRE readers show clearly how Singaporeans feel: Uncle Lim: April 17, 2014 at 5:47 pm Hardly surprising. PM Lee’s regime is the pacesetter for maximising revenue, mostly at the slightest and most absurd excuse. The telcos follow suit. Like Shit Times, they take us for granted thinking they can push us around. Many boycott Shit Times. Hopefully more will boycott Singtel and its ridiculous pricing for EPL and WC. That we are the most expensive city in the world is not a fluke. I watched English Footbal Free: April 17, 2014 at 7:26 pm When I was a young boy, I watched English Football free on Channel 5. Singapore was poorer then. Now I don’t get a chance to watch EPL unless I pay. Are we getting richer or poorer? LPPL: April 17, 2014 at 7:30 pm It doesn’t matter how much it costs you. It only matters how much they make from you. VTO Boycott - We have A Choice: April 17, 2014 at 7:57 pm SingNet is a Tummy-Sick linked company. I’m not going to pay more taxes to the farking gahmen. boycott we must!: April 17, 2014 at 8:12 pm Yes! boycott we must!! Otherwise the same freaking explanations and excuses will be repeated come 2018 by the same group of clowns!! The 4 matches that the Singapore government have deigned to screen for free are the opening match, the 2 semi-finals and the final. If Singaporeans want to watch any of the other 60 matches, they have to pay $112.35 per household. The opening match will be screened in a few hours' time. It is between hosts Brazil and Croatia and Singaporeans can catch it on Channel 5 at 4 a.m. Friday morning (13 Jun). How much do other Asian countries and Australia pay to watch the World Cup? The answer is little to nothing. The following Asian countries and Australia will pay absolutely nothing to watch the World Cup as all 64 matches will be carried on free-to-air national TV channels: Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam. The Thai military that recently took over the Thai government in a bloodless coup has assured the Thai people that they will get to see 60 out of 64 matches for free. Hong Kong and Malaysia will screen 22 and 32 free matches respectively as compared to Singapore's miserable 4. Hong Kong and Malaysia's free-to-air matches will feature powerhouses Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy and Spain. To view all 64 matches, Hong Kong and Malaysia residents have to pay a mere S$24.18 and S$38.72 per household respectively. A TRE reader has given us a timeline of how much Singaporeans have had to pay to watch the World Cup over the years: Hard Truth: April 18, 2014 at 12:09 am This is the history of World Cup television broadcasting costs in Singapore. 1982 – free-to-air SBC Channel 5 1986 – free-to-air SBC Channel 12 1990 – free-to-air SBC Channel 12 1994 – free-to-air SBC Channel 12 1998 – free-to-air STV Premiere 12 2002 – free-to-air MediaCorp Channel 5 2006 – Starhub, subscription $15.75 – $26.25 2010 – Starhub/Singtel, subscription $70.62 – $94.16 2014 – Singtel, $112++ Mr Lawrence Wong, please explain. If you have balked at the $112.35 price, there is worse news for you. A TRE reader warns of hidden charges: Alvin: April 18, 2014 at 9:14 am I was willing to be sucked into the early bird $88 ($94 after GST) until I discovered the following additional charges: - $120 ADSL Modem (compulsory even though I told them I already had one after being a MIO TV subscriber once) - $90 Installation (compulsory they have to come and install????) - $10.70 Activation fee - $XXX (3 months phone subscription) - $XXX (Set top box rental - 1 month) - And others that I cannot remember Actual cost is >$300. All hidden and way above the $88 advertised. This is SingTel's way of recovering their costs and quite frankly very dirty tactics. I walked away disgusted...  Read More →