No Need For Cabinet Minister To Head Singapore National Olympic Council

30 June 2014

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean stepped down as president of the Singapore National Olympic Council today, a post he had held since 1998. He is succeeded by Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.

 

Is it necessary that a political appointment holder should be president of the SNOC?

 

Doesn't the deputy prime minister or the manpower minister have more important duties to attend to?

 

Running the SNOC should be left to non-political appointment holders.

Distracting Commuters From Unpleasant Commuting

30 June 2014

The Land Transport Authority will introduce buskers performing at train platforms, elaborately decorated themed carriages and staff clutching stuffed toy flowers and giving out tissues to welcome commuters as part of its "social experiments" to make commuters' train journeys a little less harried ("Buskers, Themed Cabins for a Better MRT Experience" TODAY 30 Jun 2014).

Efforts are already under way to upgrade ageing train infrastructure and improve service quality, but will take years to bear fruit.

In the meantime, LTA hopes that these social initiatives can make commuters' journeys more palatable and encourage people to smile.

Does LTA really believe it can distract commuters from the unpleasant experience of commuting on the MRT? What commuters want is being able to travel in a train that is not overly crowded.

In any case, commuters are most harried at peak hours. Is there space for buskers? Can commuters appreciate the elaborately decorated themed carriages when they are packed?

LTA should consult SBS Transit which several years ago installed TV monitors in its buses. The initiative was scrapped eventually.

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1 July 2014

A reader wrote ("Disconnect Between Public and Operator's Ideas of Better MRT Service" TODAY 1 Jul 2014).

Both he and the commentators are mistaken. The social experiment is LTA's initiative, not SMRT's.



This article was updated on 1 July 2014.

Pets In Public Transport

17 June 2014

Recently, there were calls to the authorities to allow pets in public transport such as buses and trains.

Pet owners cited two reasons.

Firstly, taking taxis was costly.

Secondly, many taxi drivers did not want pets in their taxis.

If few taxi drivers want pets in their taxis, why should commuters on buses and trains be forced to travel in buses or trains in close proximity to other commuters' pets, regardless of how well trained or how well groomed the pets might be?

MediShield Life Important for Malay Community

16 June 2014

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said that MediShield Life's universal coverage is important for the Malay community (MediShield Life a Boon for the Malay-Muslim Community: Yaacob The Straits Times 15 Jun 2014 8:28 pm, and MediShield Life Coverage Important for Malay Community: Yaacob Ibrahim Channel News Asia 15 Jun 2014 10:28 pm).

Isn't MediShield Life's universal coverage important for everyone, irrespective of his or her ethnic background?

Dr Yaacob elaborated, according to The Straits Times:

"Anecdotally I have been informed that our (Malay-Muslim community's) insurance coverage is not that great, so having Medishield Life which will have universal coverage is important for us."

And according to Channel News Asia:

"At the same time, it (MediShield Life) takes in patients with existing health conditions. We know that there are a lot of Malays within our community who face certain health challenges and (it) will be difficult for them to get insurance coverage. Now with MediShield Life, that will be covered."

Pioneer Generation Appeals

16 June 2014

Approximately 180 people have appealed to be included in the Pioneer Generation Package (About 180 Appeal to Qualify for Pioneer Generation Package Channel News Asia 16 Jun 2014 7:13 am).

The appeal panel will focus on those who marginally missed out on the citizenship attainment criterion.

According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (speech at Pioneer Generation tribute, 9 Feb 2014):

"For practical reasons, we will include all who became citizens before 1987. If you ask why 1987, it is because before that we were not fully with computers, we were on manual records and we cannot be absolutely sure we have all the manual records still there. So we have been a little bit generous, before 1987 we consider you Pioneer Generation. And in that generation, there were many who came back and forth between Singapore and Malaysia and who came to Singapore finally in the early years. Late 60s, early 70s and their contribution deserves to be recognised too."

The reason for setting the citizenship cut-off date as 31 December 1986 is clear — if not for the incompleteness of documentary records regarding citizenship, the cut-off date would have been earlier. And should have been much earlier.

 

It is puzzling why the panel needs to consider anyone for inclusion in the Pioneer Generation Package if he or she had missed out on the already generous citizenship attainment criterion.