SINGAPORE: In a recent episode of Pass the Power podcast, Paige Parker talked to Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) about education, as the MP is, by day, an Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School.
Ms Parker and her husband moved to Singapore in 2007 because they wanted their two daughters to grow fluent in Mandarin. She asked Assoc Prof Lim about his thoughts on Singapore’s educational system, being a firm believer in it herself. Compared to the United States, where she is from, students in Singapore perform at “an incredibly high level.”
“Where I’m from, the people can’t do multiplication; they can’t do noun-verb agreement,” Ms Parker said. “So I think the rigor and the level of education that’s demanded of students here, I’m all for it.”
Assoc Prof Lim acknowledged her points but added that Singapore’s educational system does not work well for everyone.
For students who are a neurodivergent, who are “a little different,” or are late bloomers, “the system doesn’t draw out the best in you.”
While many Singaporeans have excelled in their fields, they don’t have the same “flair or creative spirit” that characterizes students from other systems.
Ms Parker recounted that as a child, her mother did not push her as hard as she could have, whereas now, when her daughters score 98 out of 100 on tests, she’s the kind of mum who grills them on why they missed two points.
Assoc Prof Lim said his mum was a tiger mum as well, but added that some children might not have it in them to get perfect grades, no matter how hard they try.
“They need to know that they’re just as valued and loved,” he said.
When asked about a memorable incident from his schooling days, Assoc Prof Lim told her that he has been—and still is—a troublemaker.
“One of my teachers decided I would be less disruptive if he put me in the trash bin. So in I went, apparently I reveled in being in the trash bin. I was very happy. I was still able somehow to distract people while I was in it.”
“This is giving me Sesame Street vibes,” said Ms Parker, laughing.
“There you go,” the MP said. “And I do like Oscar (the Grouch).”
A stroke of brilliance from a Primary 3 teacher made Assoc Prof Lim the leader of fellow troublemakers in class, significantly impacting him. She brought out the leadership and competitiveness in him and his other classmates, some of whom have had very successful careers.
He added that it would be good for teachers to have the flexibility to allow students to blossom at their own pace.
SINGAPORE: Mr Anthony Tan, the co-founder and CEO of multi-hyphenate company Grab, admitted in an interview earlier this year that he was born into privilege. However, when it comes to oneupmanship with his rivals, he says he can brawl with the best of them.
The best example is perhaps what happened with Uber in South East Asia. Grab and Uber went head-to-head in many parts of the region some years ago until Grab went ahead in 2018 and acquired Uber’s South East Asian operations in the largest-ever deal at the time.
Uber received no cash from the transaction, getting a 27.5 per cent stake in Grab, and its CEO, Mr Dara Khosrowshahi, joined Grab’s Board of Directors instead.
In an interview with TIME magazine, published on Aug 20, Mr Tan explains how being hyper-local in focus gave Grab the edge over Uber.
“I remember when we were competing against Uber—and Dara [Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO] is my boy, I have mad respect—he said, ‘What differentiates you from us?’ at an Uber town hall in San Francisco. You know, we fought for many years, we bought them. I said, ‘when you guys launched, Uber Ice Cream—so cool. But imagine here [in the heat] with ice cream in a car. You put ice cream in a car, it arrives within seven minutes. You are going to have many flavors in the trunk of the car.’”
He then said that, compared with Uber, Grab started GrabDurian, adding that he knew the fruit well because his father had a durian estate.
“What we did was we launched GrabDurian. The king of fruit—we are very proud of our durian. We sell 30 to 40 tonnes. Before we even started food, we started it as a marketing campaign. The best part is—no smell.
[It’s in a] sealed bag. Your car is clean. It comes super fast. And everyone in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, you name it, everybody loves durian.
That’s the local understanding. Ice cream is a global thing, durian is a Southeast Asian thing. How do I know durian? My father had a durian estate. I used to go and pick durians for him.” /TISG
The price of a COE should be a major consideration for any prospective car owner in Singapore. Given the average cost of COE in Singapore, there are times when it’s possible to pay more for the COE than for your car itself. As a result, it’s helpful to have a general idea of what people are paying for them, especially as you consider what reserve price you’ll need to pay to succeed in the bidding process.
It’s also just as important to understand what drives changes in COE prices. In the following guide, we compare the average price of COEs in 2020 with prices from past years and outline the primary factors that determine the cost of COEs.
The following graph shows how the average COE price has changed over the past decade. As of 17 May 2023, the average cost of COEs was $92,000 for Category A, $113,034 for Category B and $125,000 for Category E vehicles. This signals a tapering of demand for new cars, with a 8.91% decrease for Category A vehicles and a 5.33% decrease in Category B vehicles.
Factors affecting COE prices
COE premiums are affected by changes in the supply and demand of COEs. Granted, it’s not easy to predict with a high degree of certainty what will happen to COE prices in the future, as they fluctuate from month to month. However, having an awareness of the main factors that tend to affect COE premiums will help you to spot trends and make well-timed, smart decisions.
Supply Side
One of the biggest factors affecting COE prices is the supply of COEs available. The LTA regulates the number of cars on the road in Singapore, and when the LTA increases vehicle quotas, the supply of COEs increases and this applies a downward pressure on their price. Of the various factors that influence the vehicle quota, one of the most important things for you to pay attention to is the number of vehicle deregistrations. This number is highly variable and, even better, can be predicted based on publicly available data.
When the vehicle quota was raised in 2016 and 2017, there was a high number of vehicles being deregistered. For the COEs for cars sold prior to 2010, their certifications have now expired after 10 years. This means a large amount of COEs became available leading up to 2020.*
The table below displays the number of new cars aged less than 1 year from 2012 to 2022, demonstrating the high car sales from 2016 to 2017 compared to following years. Though some owners of these cars chose to renew their COEs on these 10-year-old vehicles, the vast majority did not, resulting in higher car deregistration. In response to a rise in car deregistration, the LTA has increased COE quotas to control the population of cars.
In tandem, there was a large drop in COE premiums and new cars in 2018 after the LTA enforced a zero percent growth rate policy in order to control the motor vehicle population.
Demand for COEs among consumers also plays a significant factor into the prices of COEs. Higher demand drives up COE premiums, whereas lower demand drives them down. There are a number of factors that influence demand that you should pay attention to.
Economic Conditions
Generally speaking, when the economy isn’t doing well, demand tends to be lower. This is because for COEs to be in demand, people need to be buying cars. During bad economic times, fewer people do. Singapore is currently experiencing a slowdown in economic growth, and the value of the Singapore dollar has fallen. With a weaker dollar in Singapore, imported cars become less affordable, which would tend to have a negative effect on car sales — and demand for COEs.
Interest rates play a role in this regard as well. Due to high car prices, the majority of Singaporeans take out car loans to buy their vehicles. When interest rates are high, people are disincentivized to take out loans, which has a negative effect on car sales and demand for COEs.
At present, the average cost of COE premiums have been soaring. This increase has been attributed to the combination of higher demand for vehicles as the economy opens up during the tail’s end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decreasing quota numbers, which has led to high competition and even higher premium rates.
Table C: Ratio of Demand to Supply of Cat A COEs
Year
COE Quota
Bids
Ratio of Bids to Quota
2013
8,534
16,960
199%
2014
12,230
21,104
173%
2015
32,867
48,741
148%
2016
48,734
73,962
152%
2017
45,237
61,159
135%
2018
38,872
53,966
138%
2019
32,846
45,730
139%
2020
19,403
29,675
153%
2021
19,309
26,835
139%
2022
13,179
18,512
140%
Government Regulations
Another factor that can affect demand for COEs is the passage of new government regulations, such as emission standards. For example, Singapore has implemented more stringent and extensive emission standards under the new Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES) that took into effect in 2018. These regulations, which will impose tax surcharges on more models and disqualify more from tax rebates than previously, will apply upward pressure on overall car prices. Higher car prices tend to have a negative effect on car sales and COE demand. We saw this happen in 2018 as COE premiums dropped throughout the year as buyers waited to see how much further premiums would decline.
At the same time, other government regulations may play minor roles in COE prices. For instance, in 2018, the LTA reduced the vehicle growth rate to zero. This will remain 0% until January 31st, 2025. This means that the number of new cars allowed on the roads has to match the number of cars that were deregistered that year. However, because the COE quota is determined by deregistrations, it was predicted not to have a large effect on COE quotas.
If you’re thinking about buying a car within the next year or two, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on how consumers, car dealerships and automakers react and to find out if the models you’re interested in will be affected.
Regardless if you are thinking of buying a new car or renewing the COE on your existing car, having comprehensive car insurance is not only mandatory but important to ensure you and your loved ones are well protected while on the roads. For the best deals, check out our round up of Best Cheap Car Insurance in Singapore.
Footnotes
In 2016, roughly 27% of cars turning 10 years old had their COEs renewed; as of February, 2017, about 32% have. This reflects a huge increase in the number of people who are choosing to renew COEs rather than deregister their cars as they turn 10 years old.
SINGAPORE: Singapore workers are the world’s fastest in acquiring artificial intelligence skills, according to LinkedIn’s Future of Work report. The report covered 25 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Israel, Switzerland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.
The report says:“As of June 2023, Singapore has the highest diffusion rate over time (20x); in other words, the share of members who have added AI skills to their profiles is 20x as compared to January 2016. Finland (16x), Ireland (15x), India (14x), and Canada (13x) round out the top five countries with the highest rates of AI skills diffusion. LinkedIn’s AI Skills 20 Index shows that the share of AI-skilled members in June 2023 is 9x as compared to 2016.”
The year 2016 was a landmark for LinkedIn and artificial intelligence.
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016;
Artificial intelligence programs developed by Microsoft and Alibaba in 2016 achieved better average performance on a Stanford University reading and comprehension test than human beings.
The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 has hastened the pace of the acquisition of AI skills.
The LinkedIn report says that “the pace at which LinkedIn members added AI skills to their profiles nearly doubled since the launch of ChatGPT, rising from 7.7% (May–November 2022) to 13% (November 2022–June 2023).”
The market demand for AI skills is increasing. The report says:
“Job postings referencing new AI technologies also are climbing rapidly: The share of global English-language job postings mentioning GPT or ChatGPT increased 21x since November 2022. Professionals and businesses are starting to embrace AI-assisted technologies, such as ChatGPT, in their daily work.”
But what exactly are AI skills?
The report explains:
“There are 38,000 skills in LinkedIn’s skills taxonomy, of which 121 are considered AI skills, including machine learning, natural language, and deep learning.”
However, the need for AI skills is not limited to the technology sector. AI is needed in other sectors, too, from financial services to manufacturing. And only a tiny fraction of the workforce currently possesses these skills.
The report says:
“As might be expected, in the US, Technology, Information, and Media have the largest share of AI-skilled members (2.2%); while small, this is still well above other industries such as such as Education (1.2%), Professional Services (0.9%), Financial Services (0.9%), and Manufacturing (0.8%). However, other industries are quickly catching up. When we look at the speed at which members are adding AI skills to their profiles, we see that professionals in Financial Services (30x), Retail (29x), and Wholesale (24x) are pivoting toward AI faster than in Technology, Information, and Media (11x).”
Employers will need to “focus on upskilling and reskilling professionals to boost AI literacy,” says the LinkedIn report. And the need to boost “AI literacy” will have another consequence.
The report says:
“Competition is intensifying to hire talent to fill specialized AI roles. Since many of these roles are brand new and no existing degree completely satisfies the role, filling them will require an increased emphasis on hiring for skills.”
LinkedIn researchers identified a list of over 500 skills likely to be affected by generative artificial intelligence (GAI) technologies, including these skills most frequently featured in the profiles of LinkedIn members:
Business and industry: Financial reporting, email marketing, data analysis
Communication and media: Writing, editing, translation, content creation
Engineering: Software development tools, programming languages, data science
SINGAPORE: An employer whose maid ran away took to social media asking what she could do cost-wise because she had to buy her previous helper a ticket back home and spend more money to hire a new maid.
In an anonymous post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, one woman wrote about her maid of two months. She said that her maid ran away after she spoke to her about her behaviour. The employer wrote that the helper would always be on the phone while handling her 18-month-old child. She added that “about personal hygiene she uses the washroom and not wash her hands and also she refuses to wear undergarments which is not nice”.
When she took her child and went out about a week ago, she added that the maid ran away, leaving the doors unlocked and the stove switched on. The employer saw the maid leaving through the cameras installed in her house and tried to contact her helper, but the latter did not pick up the phone. “I call MOM they tell me to make police report I did as told and then received a call she is in a shelter from the shelter stuff….MOM still haven’t contacted me iam left with no option but to just not go to work”, the woman wrote.
She also added that the morning of the day her maid ran away, the helper woke up demanding to go back immediately. The employer said she asked her maid to wait as she would need to buy a ticket. The helper refused, leading to the employer calling the police. The woman said in her post that the police told the maid to be patient and allow her employer to find a replacement and get her a ticket.
“So tell me what can I do I know I will still buy her ticket back home but do I still have to clear her salary for the days she worked because she nvr give me notice and also iam jobless sitting at home need to spend more money to hire new helper is this fair to us employers???” the woman asked.
Here’s what netizens who commented on the post said:
Helpers said that there are two sides to every story. One even asked how the employer knew that her helper did not wear any undergarments. /TISG
Tan Kin Lian brushes off concerns over his FB posts about “pretty girls”, says only ‘very small minority’ are bothered by them
Tan Kin Lian FB
SINGAPORE: A TikTok video was posted on Sunday (Aug 20), compiling several posts on Facebook in the past from presidential aspirant Tan Kin Lian where he featured or wrote about “pretty girls.”
In response to questions from journalists, Mr Tan appeared to treat it as a non-issue, saying that only a very few people were bothered by his posts. Below is the TikTok from an account called spillthetea.sg, viewed over 217,000 times.
Soh Rui Yong contemplates voting for Tan Kin Lian to express dissatisfaction with George Goh’s disqualification
Photo credit: Khalis Rifhan
SINGAPORE — Singapore national marathoner Soh Rui Yong expressed his dissatisfaction on social media after businessman George Goh was denied the certificate of eligibility (COE) for the Presidential Elections. Amidst this backdrop, Soh is contemplating casting his vote for Tan Kin Lian in the upcoming Presidential Election.
What may seem like a cheeky and lighthearted remark brings out a deeper meaning and understanding to his post as Soh used a simple and different approach to explain the criteria to qualify as a candidate for the presidential election.
‘Best we have had in recent years’ — Pritam Singh goes with Eunos residents to Johor for all-you-can-eat Durian Trip
Photo: FB screengrab/Pritam Singh
SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh said in a Sunday (Aug 20) Facebook post that the durians he and some Eunos residents had on a trip the day before to Yong Peng, Johor, “were the best we have had in recent years.”
“Well, when you realise your designated durian stop is also a wholesale/distribution point for durians meant for the community in Bukit Batok, Tampines, Punggol, Jurong, Ang Mo Kio, Serangoon etc. in Singapore, you know you have arrived at the end/start of the equivalent of the durian rainbow!” wrote Mr Singh, who has been representing Eunos at Aljunied GRC since 2011.
George Yeo confirms PM Lee saw Tan Cheng Bock as a threat
Photos: YT screencaptures
SINGAPORE: Former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo has indicated that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was not happy with Tan Cheng Bock’s candidacy in the 2011 Presidential Election, in his new book series ‘George Yeo: Musings’.
In the third volume of the series, Mr Yeo recounted that after he lost Aljunied GRC to the Workers’ Party in the 2011 general election in May, he was called to PM Lee’s office to discuss the presidential election which was due to be held months later.
SINGAPORE: Sprint Queen Veronica Shanti Pereira was 0.05s seconds from qualifying for the semifinal round of the Women’s 100-meter race at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 on Sunday (Aug 20). Her time was 11.33 seconds.
On Wednesday (Aug 23), the runner is set to compete in the 200-meter heats at 6:05 pm local time, Singapore Athletics said in a Facebook post.
On Sunday, despite running her fourth fastest time ever, she did not make it to the next round. Nevertheless, Shanti placed “highly respectable 31st overall out of 56 competitors,” and she “lived up to her billing as the continent’s fastest woman, achieving the highest placing out of all of the Asian athletes who took part in Women’s 100m.”
The 26-year-old runner remained upbeat after the race, saying she was “Really happy with the race today.”
“Could have been executed a bit better, but really thankful I got a chance to race here with stellar athletes like Dina as I’ve been a fan for the longest time. Overall, it was amazing and I can’t wait for the 200,” The Straits Times quotes her as saying.
Shanti was referring to Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, whose time of 11.04 sec meant she came in second to America’s Brittany Brown at 11.01 sec in Heat 2, which Asia’s Sprint Queen also ran.
Her coach, Mr Luis Cunha, was also happy with Shanti’s run, telling ST, “She continues to be the fastest Asian and this was a good indicator for us for the Asian Games and the upcoming 200 meter.”
He also pointed out a benefit of Ms Pereira running with the best in the world, saying that it has been good for her confidence.
It’s been a stellar year for Shanti. At the SEA Games in May, she clocked a time of 11.41 seconds in the 100m event and set a new game and national record in the 200m race with 22.69 seconds.
In mid-July, she claimed back-to-back wins at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok in the 100 and 200-meter races, breaking the national record for the 100-meter with a time of 11.20 seconds. /TISG
George Yeo confirms PM Lee saw Tan Cheng Bock as a threat
Photos: YT screencaptures
SINGAPORE: Former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo has indicated that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was not happy with Tan Cheng Bock’s candidacy in the 2011 Presidential Election, in his new book series ‘George Yeo: Musings’.
In the third volume of the series, Mr Yeo recounted that after he lost Aljunied GRC to the Workers’ Party in the 2011 general election in May, he was called to PM Lee’s office to discuss the presidential election which was due to be held months later.
As the presidential election heats up, it is easy to get caught up in the drama of it. Who has indicated an interest? Who qualifies? Who will win? But yet, have we stopped to think why there are so many seemingly unnecessary hoops for a presidential hopeful to jump through for a post that has no real political power at all?
Former People’s Action Party (PAP) stalwart, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was the first to show his hand, announcing to great fanfare that he was intending to contest. Mr Shanmugaratnam is a popular politician, once tipped to be a potential Prime Minister of Singapore. Despite his repeated denials, numerous online surveys had kept that hope alive. Given his immense popularity, he has a good chance of winning the Presidential election.
More Singaporeans working overseas wish to return to Singapore: Survey
AFP
SINGAPORE: A recent survey conducted by recruitment consultancy Robert Walters has revealed a significant increase in the number of local professionals living abroad who intend to return to Singapore within the next five years.
The survey, which collected responses from 123 local professionals across various industries, found that 58 per cent of these expatriates are now considering a return to Singapore, marking a notable nine per cent increase from the results of the same survey in 2022.
‘Best we have had in recent years’ — Pritam Singh goes with Eunos residents to Johor for all-you-can-eat Durian Trip
Photo: FB screengrab/Pritam Singh
SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh said in a Sunday (Aug 20) Facebook post that the durians he and some Eunos residents had on a trip the day before to Yong Peng, Johor, “were the best we have had in recent years.”
“Well, when you realise your designated durian stop is also a wholesale/distribution point for durians meant for the community in Bukit Batok, Tampines, Punggol, Jurong, Ang Mo Kio, Serangoon etc. in Singapore, you know you have arrived at the end/start of the equivalent of the durian rainbow!” wrote Mr Singh, who has been representing Eunos at Aljunied GRC since 2011.
Ng Kok Song on CPF savings: Govt saves Singaporeans the headache of investing money, guarantees risk-free interest rate
Photo: TikTok screengrab/ngkoksongofficial
SINGAPORE: In a TikTok video, presidential hopeful Ng Kok Song explained how CPF savings work for Singaporeans and added that the “President, as the custodian of the reserves, plays an important role in keeping these savings safe.”
In the video, he says, “the Government is able to pay good interest rate on Singapore savings, encourage Singaporeans to save and then pay a good interest rate. So as you know, the Government pays a minimum of 2.5 per cent for ordinary account, 4 per cent for special account, Medisave, retirement accounts.”
SINGAPORE: A TikTok video was posted on Sunday (Aug 20), compiling several posts on Facebook in the past from presidential aspirant Tan Kin Lian where he featured or wrote about “pretty girls.”
In response to questions from journalists, Mr Tan appeared to treat it as a non-issue, saying that only a very few people were bothered by his posts. Below is the TikTok from an account called spillthetea.sg, viewed over 217,000 times.
However, when asked about the posts before going on a walkabout at a Clementi West hawker centre, Mr. Tan Kin Lian said that he posts about a number of other things on Facebook.
He also said that most people say his posts about women are “quite light…quite enjoyable”, adding that this is “how I build my people to be interested.”
And while he admitted that “There will be a few people who feel uncomfortable,” he quickly added, “but that is a very small minority, that’s a very small minority.”
Most of his followers “actually find that to be quite okay, quite fun.”
His message for these “malicious” commenters is this: “If you don’t like what I post, please stay out. Don’t make very rude remarks.”
“I ignore malicious people who are out to create trouble for me, so long as the majority of people find that those are quite harmless. Some people will be malicious,” he added.
The presidential hopeful told journalists that people sometimes leave “nasty comments” on his posts but added that this is also what they do to Mr Ng Kok Song, who is also running for the presidency.
Mr Tan Kin Lian said that Mr Ng also has “pretty girls” in some of his posts.
“So therefore don’t give the impression that I’m the worst target of malicious people. I’m not. I think I got more people who look at me more favourably because they understand my purpose of standing for election.”
Mr Tan’s response to the issue in the video below:
Nevertheless, there are several unfavourable comments left on TikTok.
SINGAPORE — Singapore national marathoner Soh Rui Yong expressed his dissatisfaction on social media after businessman George Goh was denied the certificate of eligibility (COE) for the Presidential Elections. Amidst this backdrop, Soh is contemplating casting his vote for Tan Kin Lian in the upcoming Presidential Election.
What may seem like a cheeky and lighthearted remark brings out a deeper meaning and understanding to his post as Soh used a simple and different approach to explain the criteria to qualify as a candidate for the presidential election.
He mentioned that if Singapore were to reverse engineer the selection process and select him as the president, all they need to do is to include a ‘fitness requirement.’
“Candidates must have run sub 7 min 2.4km, broken national records, and won gold medals for Singapore. Justification? The President must set a good example in physical fitness and must be in good health,” posted Soh on his Facebook page.
“Sounds dumb, right? But this is after all, as arbitrary as needing to be CEO of a company with $500 million in shareholders equity, having served at a high position in public office, or, in the case of 2017, being of Malay race,” added the multiple SEA Games medallist.
Soh voiced his disappointment as he believed Goh, who had positioned himself as a neutral, non-establishment candidate, had been politicked out of the presidential election, which he referred to as yet ‘another classic example of the establishment snuffing out potential threats.’
Although Goh failed to obtain the CEO, Singaporeans will still go to the polls on Sept 1 as three other presidential hopefuls managed to obtain the required their. They are former Singapore senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, ex-GIC chief investment officer, and former NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian.
While Soh strongly believes Tharman is the strongest candidate out of the remaining three presidential hopefuls, he is now considering casting a vote for Tan after witnessing how Goh is unsuccessful in his COE application.
“Tharman Shanmugaratnam is by far the strongest candidate this year, and I honestly would have voted for him even with George as a candidate. Establishment candidate or not, he’s the strongest candidate in my view,” explained Soh. Removing George Goh from the race in this manner delegitimises the elections, and makes me now think about submitting a protest vote to Tan Kin Lian,” asserted Soh.
On Aug 18, the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) issued a statement explaining their reasons for not issuing a certificate of eligibility to businessman Goh.
“Article 19(4)(b) requires the Committee to consider whether an applicant has the experience and ability that comes from managing one very large private sector organization – the experience and ability that comes from managing multiple smaller private sector organizations is not equivalent to this. Mr Goh’s application acknowledged that the five companies he relied on are not unitary companies and are not owned by a common holding company, but Mr. Goh submitted that the five companies should be regarded as a single private sector organization,” explained the Presidential Elections Committee.
The five companies submitted by Goh for his COE application are; Ossia International Limited, Pertama Holdings Pte Ltd, ITG International Pte Ltd, Crown Essentials Limited, and Vernal Ventures Pte Ltd.
The PEC said that after considering the relevant facts and circumstances, including how the companies were owned, managed, and operated, the PEC was not satisfied that the five companies constituted a single private sector organization. Therefore, under Article 19(4)(b) of the Constitution, they could not grant a certificate of eligibility to Goh.
