TODAY's headline screamed, "Shanmugam pays DPM Teo tribute for 'highly effective' Home Team.
Minister Shanmugam's praise is not worth terribly much, in my view. As a deputy prime minister, Teo ranks above Shanmugam in the Cabinet.
Praising One's Superior
3 October 2015
TODAY's headline screamed, "Shanmugam pays DPM Teo tribute for 'highly effective' Home Team.
Minister Shanmugam's praise is not worth terribly much, in my view. As a deputy prime minister, Teo ranks above Shanmugam in the Cabinet.
TODAY's headline screamed, "Shanmugam pays DPM Teo tribute for 'highly effective' Home Team.
Minister Shanmugam's praise is not worth terribly much, in my view. As a deputy prime minister, Teo ranks above Shanmugam in the Cabinet.
So Difficult to Obtain 1-hour PM2.5 Concentration Data
17 September 2015
People accessing National Environment Agency's website during the current haze want primarily the following information:
People accessing National Environment Agency's website during the current haze want primarily the following information:
▪ 24-hour PSI
▪ 3-hour PSI
▪ 1-hour PM2.5 concentration by region
NEA is creating a lot of unnecessary traffic on its website by showing the sulphur dioxide concentration on its Pollutant Concentration page, because it requires people to then request the 1-hour PM2.5 concentration information. For some inexplicable reason, this final step causes the web page to go on an infinite loop.
The 1-hour PM2.5 concentration be shown as the default on the Pollutant Concentration page.
SG50 Fun Packs For Overseas Singaporeans, Permanent Residents?
5 August 2015
Mr Ace Kindredzen Cheong wrote to The Straits Times asking for SG50 fun packs to be distributed to overseas Singaporeans to demonstrate that they have not been forgotten by the country ("Will S'pore Families Overseas Get SG50 Fun Packs?", 4 Aug 2015).
If Mr Cheong examines the contents of the fun packs, he will quickly conclude that there is hardly anything inside that is worth the effort of either sending them overseas or collecting them. Many resident households don't bother to collect them, even when the People's Association and its grassroots organisations bring the fun packs to convenient collection points in the neighbourhood.
Much resources have already been wasted on sourcing, making, assembling and distributing the 1.25 million fun packs to resident households.
It is a pointless exercise.
Let's not waste any more resources sending and distributing them to overseas citizens and permanent residents.
Mr Ace Kindredzen Cheong wrote to The Straits Times asking for SG50 fun packs to be distributed to overseas Singaporeans to demonstrate that they have not been forgotten by the country ("Will S'pore Families Overseas Get SG50 Fun Packs?", 4 Aug 2015).
If Mr Cheong examines the contents of the fun packs, he will quickly conclude that there is hardly anything inside that is worth the effort of either sending them overseas or collecting them. Many resident households don't bother to collect them, even when the People's Association and its grassroots organisations bring the fun packs to convenient collection points in the neighbourhood.
Much resources have already been wasted on sourcing, making, assembling and distributing the 1.25 million fun packs to resident households.
It is a pointless exercise.
Let's not waste any more resources sending and distributing them to overseas citizens and permanent residents.
Pioneer Generation
25 July 2015
At a Pioneer Generation roadshow, MediaCorp's Brian Richmond, reporting "live" on Gold 90.5 radio, said that all those born on or before 31 December 1949 were automatically Pioneer Generation members.
He added that all those who were citizens before 1987 were also Pioneer Generation members.
A person has to be born on or before 31 December 1949 and is a citizen before 1987 to be considered to be a Pioneer Generation member.
If radio personalities at a Pioneer Generation roadshow get their facts wrong, it's no wonder that some people are still confused more than a year after the Pioneer Generation scheme was introduced.
At a Pioneer Generation roadshow, MediaCorp's Brian Richmond, reporting "live" on Gold 90.5 radio, said that all those born on or before 31 December 1949 were automatically Pioneer Generation members.
He added that all those who were citizens before 1987 were also Pioneer Generation members.
A person has to be born on or before 31 December 1949 and is a citizen before 1987 to be considered to be a Pioneer Generation member.
If radio personalities at a Pioneer Generation roadshow get their facts wrong, it's no wonder that some people are still confused more than a year after the Pioneer Generation scheme was introduced.
Electoral Boundaries Review Committee Surprise
13 July 2015
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong disclosed in Parliament that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee was formed two months ago.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong disclosed in Parliament that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee was formed two months ago.
He was responding to
questions filed by West Coast Group Representation Constituency Member of Parliament Arthur
Fong and Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong.
Although there is no requirement in law for the setting up of the Committee to be announced, Mr Lee should have made the announcement when the Committee was set up, instead of waiting for Members of Parliament to ask him.
What if no one asked?
What if someone asked and the answer was that the Committee had not been set up — does he keep on asking at every sitting of Parliament until the prime minister answers in the affirmative?
The law should be amended to require the formation of the Committee to be announced publicly to reduce the advantage that the ruling party has over opposition parties in the timing of the country's general election.
What if no one asked?
What if someone asked and the answer was that the Committee had not been set up — does he keep on asking at every sitting of Parliament until the prime minister answers in the affirmative?
The law should be amended to require the formation of the Committee to be announced publicly to reduce the advantage that the ruling party has over opposition parties in the timing of the country's general election.
Does Our Medisave Money Belong To Us?
10 July 2015
I was bemused when Channel News Asia reported that there would be new Additional Withdrawal Limits to help Singaporeans pay for part or all of their Integrated Shield plan premiums using money in their Medisave accounts.
Associated Professor Phua Kai Hong of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy describes the move as being generous.
Almost all, if not all, Singaporeans and permanent residents consider money in our Medisave accounts (and our Ordinary, Special and Retirement accounts with Central Provident Fund) as belonging to us individually, not the Government.
If the Ministry of Health is setting Additional Withdrawal Limits so that we can use more of our money in our Medisave accounts to pay for part or all of our Integrated Shield plan premiums, the Ministry is neither helping us nor being generous to us.
Unless the Ministry of Health believes that our Medisave money belongs to the Government.
A Freudian slip, perhaps?
I was bemused when Channel News Asia reported that there would be new Additional Withdrawal Limits to help Singaporeans pay for part or all of their Integrated Shield plan premiums using money in their Medisave accounts.
Associated Professor Phua Kai Hong of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy describes the move as being generous.
Almost all, if not all, Singaporeans and permanent residents consider money in our Medisave accounts (and our Ordinary, Special and Retirement accounts with Central Provident Fund) as belonging to us individually, not the Government.
If the Ministry of Health is setting Additional Withdrawal Limits so that we can use more of our money in our Medisave accounts to pay for part or all of our Integrated Shield plan premiums, the Ministry is neither helping us nor being generous to us.
Unless the Ministry of Health believes that our Medisave money belongs to the Government.
A Freudian slip, perhaps?
LKY's Family Expresses Thanks
23 April 2015
The Straits Times reported that the family of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew expressed its thanks to the public for their affection and support during its recent bereavement through a full-page advertisement.
Since the major newspapers already carried the advertisement, what else that is newsworthy could The Straits Times write about?
The Straits Times reported that the family of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew expressed its thanks to the public for their affection and support during its recent bereavement through a full-page advertisement.
Since the major newspapers already carried the advertisement, what else that is newsworthy could The Straits Times write about?
Pandas Mating Uncensored
21 April 2015
The Straits Times showed pictures of Kai Kai and Jia Jia mating for the first time in Singapore.
The Straits Times showed pictures of Kai Kai and Jia Jia mating for the first time in Singapore.
Aren't the pictures rather explicit for a national broadsheet?
MediaCorp also reported the event on national television with a video clip. Its Channel News Asia news reader asked, possibly half in jest, whether it should have been given a PG rating.
Memorial For Founding Fathers
15 April 2015
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament on 13 April that a committee would gather views from the public and conceptualise a memorial for Singapore's "founding fathers", in response to calls from Members of Parliament to honour the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament on 13 April that a committee would gather views from the public and conceptualise a memorial for Singapore's "founding fathers", in response to calls from Members of Parliament to honour the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Singapore's cabinet members in 1965, when the country was thrown out of Malaysia, are not the country's founding fathers. They did not found Singapore. Not even modern Singapore nor independent Singapore.
Furthermore, why did the Members of Parliament wait until after Mr Lee's passing before considering a memorial to honour the early cabinet members, all of whom except for Mr Lee had retired from the government a quarter of a century ago or longer?
LKY: Demolish My House
13 April 2015
The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's instruction to demolish his house at 38 Oxley Road after his death is TODAY's headline news today.
More newsworthy than the public spat between Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak and former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad?
The Straits Times seems to think so too.
More newsworthy than Q1 GDP?
It's just a house.
The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's instruction to demolish his house at 38 Oxley Road after his death is TODAY's headline news today.
More newsworthy than the public spat between Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak and former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad?
The Straits Times seems to think so too.
It's just a house.
MediaCorp Celebrities Pay Respects To Lee Kuan Yew
27 March 2015
TODAY reported that MediaCorp's celebrities were seen queuing to pay their respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister.
Does it matter which of MediaCorp's "celebrities" went to pay their respects to Mr Lee?
TODAY reported that MediaCorp's celebrities were seen queuing to pay their respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister.
Does it matter which of MediaCorp's "celebrities" went to pay their respects to Mr Lee?
Free Access To ST Coverage Of Lee Kuan Yew's Passing
23 March 2015
The Straits Times will give all its readers, regardless of whether or not they are subscribers, free access to its coverage of the passing of Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
There is little point for The Straits Times to provide coverage of the event if it was not available to all readers.
The Straits Times will give all its readers, regardless of whether or not they are subscribers, free access to its coverage of the passing of Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
There is little point for The Straits Times to provide coverage of the event if it was not available to all readers.
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