SINGAPORE: In a report on criminal accusations made against domestic helpers in Singapore, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) said that the vast majority, or more than 80 per cent, of these accusations, do not lead to criminal charges.
HOME’s study, released earlier this week, noted that theft is “overwhelmingly the most common accusation made” against migrant domestic workers (MDW).
The report cited the high-profile case of Ms Parti Liyani, the Indonesian helper convicted in 2019 after she was accused of theft by her employer, Mr Liew Mun Leong, the former chairman of the Changi Airport Group. The conviction was overturned a year later by the High Court.
The report aims to take a close look at how prevalent these accusations are, especially the ones that are petty in nature and tend to be punitive or retaliatory, as well as their relative and disproportionate impact on the helpers.
HOME noted that such accusations leave helpers legally, financially, and socially vulnerable, adding that MDWs often need to stay in a shelter while the accusations are investigated, which significantly disrupts their lives and sources of income.
“When an accusation is made against a MDW, they are often unable to work, must leave the only home they have in Singapore, and have to deal with months of hardship while investigations are ongoing.”
HOME added that the precarious position helpers find themselves in when accused of an offence is a result of “both by the unprecedented amount of power that employers have over the MDWs in their hire, as well as the currently opaque system by which investigating authorities grant the accused the opportunity to continue working.”
The organization also drew up a list of recommendations that would serve to help the helpers who have been accused of offences.
Helpers assisting in investigations should be allowed to continue working.
MDWs who have been issued stern warnings should likewise be allowed to work, as current policy disallows work permit holders who’ve been issued stern warnings are generally disbarred from seeking employment.
Live-out options should be made available for domestic workers, which would to help professionalise the domestic sector and make helpers less susceptible to accusations against them.
Right to change employers without having to seek the consent of their current employers, which is the current policy.
The Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) has revealed the five companies that George Goh Ching Wah listed in his application to run for president, as it refuted his claim that the reason he was disqualified was not disclosed to him.
The Committee revealed that the five companies Mr Goh referenced were Ossia International Limited, Pertama Holdings Pte Ltd, ITG International Pte Ltd, Crown Essentials Limited, and Vernal Ventures Pte Ltd. He served in chief executive positions at all five firms.
Mr Goh has, so far, refused to name the companies he listed in his application, claiming that he wished to avoid stressing the companies. His nondisclosure has led to some criticism that he is not transparent with potential voters.
In a press statement on Friday evening (18 Aug), the PEC made clear that Mr Goh’s bid was rejected because his experience in handling several smaller private sector companies did not equate to the skills required to manage a much larger entity.
The PEC’s statement came hours after the Elections Department announced that Certificates of Eligibility have been issued to ex-Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, ex-GIC chief economist Mr Ng Kok Song, and ex-NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian.
The ELD said then that the PEC will not make the reasons for rejecting those who did not qualify public, although unsuccessful applicants are not precluded from publishing them.
Mr Goh then said in a press statement that the PEC had taken a “very narrow interpretation of the requirements without explaining the rationale behind its decision” as he called the decision “not fair” and a “setback to Singapore”.
The PEC refuted this. Asserting that it carefully considered Mr Goh’s application, based on the proper application of Article 19(4)(b) of the Constitution, the PEC said it is publicly releasing its letter to Mr Goh explaining the rationale behind its decision in response to the allegations he made against the Committee.
The PEC said, “As mentioned in the Committee’s letter to Mr 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 organisation – the experience and ability
that comes from managing multiple smaller private sector organisations is not
equivalent to this.”
In its statement, the PEC said that Mr Goh asked the Committee to regard the five companies as a single private sector organisation, despite the fact that the companies “are not a unitary company and are not owned by a common holding company.”
The PEC said, “The Committee carefully considered Mr Goh’s submission. However, after
taking into account the relevant facts and circumstances (including how the companies
were owned, managed and operated), the Committee was not satisfied that the five
companies constituted a single private sector organisation.
“Consequently, for the reasons explained in the Committee’s letter to Mr Goh, the Committee was unable to grant Mr Goh a Certificate of Eligibility under Article 19(4)(b) of the Constitution.”
In the PEC’s letter to Mr Goh, the Committee noted that the shareholders’ equity of each of the five companies was “significantly below S$500 million”, which is the minimum requirement for applicants who apply on the private sector track.
The letter explained to Mr Goh, “Thus, the committee was not satisfied, having regard to the nature of your office in each of the companies and your performance in the office, and the size and complexity of each of the companies, that you have experience and ability that is comparable to the experience and ability of a person who has served as the chief executive of a typical company with at least S$500m in shareholders’ equity.”
SINGAPORE — Ng Kok Song, the former chief investment officer of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, threw his name into the presidential race, making the main contender Tharman Shanmugaratnam‘s route to the Istana even harder.
Despite his extensive experience managing the country’s reserves as the group’s chief investment officer from 2007 until his retirement from GIC in 2013, will he be able to garner enough support to secure victory over Tharman, Singapore’s former Senior Minister and Finance Minister, now that Ng has successfully obtained his certificate of eligibility from the Presidential Election Committee?
While any candidates preparing for an election will probably be thinking about their chances of winning or losing, for Ng he is not too worried about it. He feels that rather than putting too much energy into the results, he prefers to focus on preparing the best for his campaign. This philosophy goes in line with his belief in spiritual meditation which keeps him calm.
The former GIC chief investment officer shared that he is going into the presidential campaign with one of the fruits of meditation, which is detachment. He explained that whatever one does, they should do it to the best of their ability and not be overly concerned with the outcome.
“I think a good way of understanding how meditation helps us to discern what we should do, and to discern the reasons why we make that decision. I’m going into this presidential campaign with one of the fruits of meditation, which is detachment,” said Ng in a video posted on his Facebook page.
Ng Kok Song added even if he does not win the presidential election, he is glad to be able to offer his name to the race so that the voters have an opportunity to give the eventual winner, the next President of Singapore the mandate that he deserves.
“If I contest the election and I do not win, there’s one winner, and that winner is the people of Singapore. That they get the chance to choose their president. I’ve come forward and I’ve honored the office of the president. So the people in Singapore and outside of Singapore, say yes, you have an elected president through an election. So what mattered most to me was that the office of the president should be honored,” expressed Ng, who is currently the chairman of Avanda Investment Management which he co-founded in 2015 with former colleagues from GIC.
UPHOLDING THE INTEGRITY OF KEY APPOINTMENT HOLDERS
In another interview, Ng spoke on the importance of upholding the integrity of key appointment holders, and it is not just about conforming to the letters of the law but honoring the spirit of the law too.
Ng Kok Song mentioned that he has been in public service for 45 years and he fully understands what integrity means.
“This is very important because we have got good institutions of government. Good institutions mean good people. Because if you don’t have good people, honest people, capable people, good institutions can become bad, can become dishonest,” said the presidential hopeful.
“So let’s say you have the accountant-general or the auditor-general. If the officeholder lacks integrity, he will compromise and collude with a bad government. I have spent many years in public service, so I know how important it is this question of integrity. Integrity is not just about conforming, to the letter of the law, or the letter of the code of conduct. Integrity means honoring the spirit. People refer to it as optics, public perception,” added Ng, who first started his career in public service as an investment analyst at the Ministry of Finance in 1970, before moving to the Monetary Authority of Singapore the following year.
Ng Kok Song reiterated that when a person is in a high-level position, whether in a political office or public service, they must not only comply with the letter of the law or the code of conduct.
“You have to strive to honor the spirit of it. That is how my years in public service, equip me with the experience that will enable me to make a judgment as to whether an appointment should be approved or questioned,” explained Ng who joined GIC in 1986.
Apart from Ng and Tharman, there are two other presidential hopefuls in the race. They are former NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian and businessman George Goh. The Elections Department announced that a total of six applicants have submitted for a certificate of eligibility, after the deadline for submission on Thursday, Aug 17.
The Presidential Elections Committee will now deliberate on the applicants and have up until Monday, August 21, to announce their decision. Nomination Day is designated for the following day on Aug 22, and if more than one presidential hopeful receives their certificate of eligibility, Singaporeans will go to the polls on Sept 1 to elect the country’s ninth President.
SINGAPORE: Following the announcement of the Elections Department (ELD) on qualifying candidates, businessman George Goh expressed his disappointment with the rejection of his application.
In a press meeting on Friday (Aug 18), Mr. George Goh said that his legal and financial team submitted a “very strong case detailing my experience and performance managing five companies which met the shareholders’ equity and profitability criteria”. He added that he was the most senior executive in each of these companies.
“The PEC rejected our argument that my experience in these companies was equivalent to that of a CEO running a single company, and took a very narrow interpretation of the requirements without explaining the rationale behind its decision”, he said.
He added that the decision is a “setback not just for me but for Singapore”.
On Friday, ELD said unsuccessful applicants for a Certificate of Eligibility were told of the reasons for the PEC’s decision. But these will not be published, along with the names of the applicants, “in light of the concern … that potential applicants may be dissuaded from stepping forward to contest the elections for fear of embarrassment”.
“However, unsuccessful applicants are not precluded from publishing the committee’s reasons provided to them,” the department added.
Former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian, and former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam have qualified as candidates for Singapore’s Presidential Election, the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Friday (Aug 18).
The six-member PEC, headed by Public Service Commission chairman Lee Tzu Yang and including two Supreme Court judges, was satisfied that Mr. Ng, Mr. Tan, and Mr. Tharman were men of “integrity, good character, and reputation”, said ELD. /TISG
SINGAPORE — Several postings of an unsightly view at the newest BTO project, Rivervale Shores, have been circulating on social media lately. Some residents have complained about the accumulation of trash and have even alleged the presence of rodents in the neighbourhood. This issue also grabbed the attention of Ling Wei Hong from the People’s Action Party during his recent weekly visit to the area.
Ling shared several photos on social media on the morning of Aug 16, stating, “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Some of the trash has been lingering for weeks. The situation is dire in the car parks, and upstairs in the common areas, there are piles of rubbish. Residents have even spotted rats and other pests. This escalating issue is posing a threat to the environment and public health.”
Several residents also seek Ling’s assistance in relaying their concerns to the Workers’ Party and the Sengkang Town Council on their behalf. These residents allege that their attempts to arrange meetings with the Sengkang Town Council to discuss the estate management at Rivervale Shores have not been fruitful.
Photo credit: Ling Wei Hong
On the same day, in the evening, Sengkang GRC member of parliament, Louis Chua, took to his Facebook page to respond to the matter. He reassured residents that he and his team are actively taking measures to address the problem of indiscriminate littering and illegal dumping of bulky refuse in the Rivervale Shores estate.
“Additional manpower and resources have been engaged by SKTC to address this. Conservancy contractors continue to go about their daily cleaning regime but are also focused on clearing debris left by various parties – including wooden pallets and heavy-duty renovation debris, which are cleared using skip tanks. Meanwhile, our public waste collector, Sembwaste, continues to collect general waste on a daily basis at bin centres,” shared MP Chua.
Chua mentioned that they had anticipated these issues due to the high volume of new residents moving in and their prior experience with other BTO projects. Additionally, he emphasised that the Sengkang Town Council will work closely with their partners such as HDB to manage the new estate.
“Take the management of the carparks for example, which is looked after by HDB. SKTC continues to partner with HDB on the maintenance and upkeep of the area, similar to other areas which are still under construction and may not be easily accessible by the SKTC’s contractors. Still, the teams on the ground continue to be working closely and supporting each other. We will continue to work diligently with all teams on the ground to create a better resolution for residents, and we ask for their patience and understanding,” added the Workers’ Party member of parliament.
The Sengkang GRC MP also reminded the residents and the contractors to be mindful of the estate and the community and to play a positive role in the upkeep of their new estate.
“Ultimately, what matters most is civic mindedness. HDB, when issuing renovation permits, also issues accompanying advisories to residents and their contractors for the proper disposal of debris or waste. I hope more residents will pay heed to this advice…” expressed MP Chua.
SINGAPORE: A TikTok user got more than she bargained for on a recent night out, when she came across the increasingly rare Sunda pangolin at Toa Payoh, only 100 of which are left in the wild in Singapore.
And while the clubbing turned out to be boring, Ms Sarah May Low wrote she was glad she went out anyway, if only for her “FATED ENCOUNTER” with the endangered animal. She even wrote that it was “like meeting a rare Pokemon.”
In it, the pangolin can be seen making its way on the pavement at Toa Payoh, which appeared to be relatively empty at the time.
However, it walked quite near a road, which is alarming, because pangolins move slowly and have been hurt, and even killed, by vehicles when they come too close to the street.
“The Sunda pangolin or Malayan Pangolin (Manis Javanica), also known as the scaly anteater, is a shy, nocturnal, solitary mammal covered in scales that are made of compressed hair….
In Singapore, they are mainly distributed in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. They can also be found in forested areas in Bukit Batok, the Western Catchment Area, and on the islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. They sometimes wander into residential areas from nearby woods,” says the National Parks Board.
The animal is listed as critically endangered, and its biggest threat is massive habitat loss due to the fast pace of urbanization.
People are discouraged from touching or even approaching the animals, as they can get frightened. But they do not attack humans.
Ms Low’s video, posted on Tuesday (Aug 15) has since gone viral, getting over 186,000 views.
Many TikTok users have commented on the video, with a number of them saying it would be best to report this type of sighting, so the authorities can escort the pangolin home and so it can be protected from poachers.
SINGAPORE: Six months after taking on a role at Grab, PAP Member of Parliament for MacPherson SMC Tin Pei Ling says she’s leaving the super-app tech firm and is moving on to a fintech company.
In an Aug 17 (Thursday) post on LinkedIn, Ms Tin wrote that she was bidding “farewell to the wonderful people and time” at Grab and was looking forward “to embarking on a new exciting journey in my career, and take on a more external-facing and commercial role in the tech sector.”
Grab Singapore announced on Feb 1 of this year that the MP had been appointed as Director of Public Affairs and Policy.
“She should be blocked from taking up this role as she is actively involved in how policy is shaped and discussed in parliament. She might also have access to sensitive data that she can use in her commercial role. Very disappointing that something like that can happen,” wrote one Reddit user.
Ms Tin wrote in her post that her experience at Grab had been an invaluable one “as it was an opportunity for me to return to the private sector, to broaden my horizons, hone new skills and allow me to make a contribution in a different way.”
She also shared some information about her new job, which begins on Oct 1.
“Looking ahead, I will be joining an aspiring FinTech company that aims to pioneer innovative advancements in the payment industry. I will take on a leadership role in strategic partnerships & business development. I am excited that this new role will give me the opportunity to support the company’s product innovation efforts and expansion into key Asia-Pacific markets.”
Ms Tin, 39, who began volunteering with Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s Meet-the-People’s sessions in her second year in university, was the People’s Action Party’s youngest candidate during the 2011 general election when she joined the PAP slate at Marine Parade.
A businesswoman by profession, she has worked at Ernst & Young, the Jing King Tech Group and Business China. /TISG
SINGAPORE: Singaporean former national swimmer Marc Tay was known to be a mentor and an older brother to his teammates. Recently, the first recipient of the Sportsboy of the Year award died at the age of 63. The cause of his death remains unknown and is yet to be confirmed.
In a Facebook post made by Singapore Aquatics, the group shared the announcement to the public. The caption stated: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former national swimmer Dr Marc Tay Tze-Hsin… Thank you Dr. Tay for your contribution to Singapore sports. We will continue to fly our flags high.”
Marc Tay started swimming at the age of eight and represented his school in swimming at the upper-primary level.
He was one of the most promising swimmers in the Under-17 age group and in 1977, he clocked 56.08 seconds in the 100m freestyle at the Singapore Amateur Swimming Association National Age Group meet to beat the previous record of 56.30 seconds.
During the above-mentioned year, he also became the first local swimmer to break the 56-second mark in the same event with 55.85 seconds at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. He won two golds, three silvers, and three bronzes from four editions of the biennial Games.
To recognize his outstanding performance in the field of swimming, the Sportsboy of the Year award was first given to Marc Tay, an award given to Singaporean citizens below the age of 18 who excels in sports.
His wake will be held at the Singapore Funeral Parlour at 91 Tampines Link until Saturday, August 19.
SINGAPORE: Predicting that presidential hopeful George Goh Ching Wah will fail to qualify for the looming election, lawyer and noted socio-political commentator Lian Chuan Yeoh has opined that the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) should not issue an eligibility certificate to him “to respect the rule of law.”
Mr. George Goh is among four who are eyeing the head of the state seat, alongside ex-Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, ex-GIC chief economist Ng Kok Song, and ex-NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian.
Although Mr. George Goh – an entrepreneur – has submitted his eligibility application forms, doubts over whether he will meet the eligibility criteria persist, given the new rules for private sector candidates.
Mr. George Goh in his bid for candidacy, claimed to be the senior executive of an agglomeration of five companies, with average total shareholder equity slightly above S$500 million. He has refused to name these companies that he claims are backing his application and has explained his nondisclosure by indicating he wished to avoid stressing the companies.
Mr Yeoh criticized Mr. George Goh’s decision to not disclose the names of the companies in a Facebook post published on Saturday (5 Aug). Asserting that this comes across as a lack of transparency, he wrote:
“His comment about avoiding stress is unpersuasive and shows a lack of transparency – even after his papers have now been filed with the PEC. Mr. George Goh has come up short in this regard.
“Mr Goh’s reasons for not revealing the names of the companies which he claims underpin his application are known only to him – but they may indicate that he in fact lacks confidence in the legal merits of his claim, no matter what he may say in public.”
The lawyer then delved into the historical context of the private sector deliberative track, highlighting the pre-2017 requirements for applicants to demonstrate similar or comparable seniority or responsibility in an organization or department of equivalent size or complexity.
He emphasized that this approach did not allow for aggregation, meaning that the PEC could not combine multiple positions to meet the eligibility criteria.
Mr Yeoh pointed to ex-presidential candidate Tan Jee Say, who had received a Certificate of Eligibility in 2011. He noted that the PEC qualified him despite ruling that one of Mr Tan’s positions was only equivalent in complexity, not size, to the required standard.
Arguing that the PEC’s decision was already liberal, considering the stringent requirements for eligibility, Mr Yeoh said that the 2017 constitutional amendments to the elected presidential scheme clarified that comparability would be applied to the organization’s size and complexity.
The lawyer wrote: “There was not any hint of an intention to change the basic approach to permit aggregation. While the eventual wording is complex, the structure of Article 19(4)(b) also suggests to me that aggregation was and is not envisaged.
That sub-section requires that the applicant hold an office for 3 or more years in a private sector organisation, and the PEC is satisfied that he has experience and ability comparable to the CEO of a typical company with at least S$500m in shareholder equity “having regard to the nature of the office, the size and complexity of the private sector organisation and the person’s performance in the office”.”
Mr Yeoh maintained that the wording of Article 19(4)(b) suggests that aggregation was not intended, and the PEC should assess comparability based on a single office held by the applicant, possibly two offices in specific circumstances – not five offices.
Given this interpretation, he said: “For this reason, in my view, Mr George Goh does not qualify for a Certificate of Eligibility under the private sector deliberative track in the Constitution and the PEC should not issue one to him, to respect the rule of law.”
Prior to the indications of interest from Mr Tharman, Mr Goh, Mr Ng and Mr Tan, Mr Lian had said that the authorities should reconsider the elected presidency scheme in its current form.
Highlighting the scheme’s flaws and the need for fundamental changes, in a Facebook post back in May, the lawyer expressed concerns regarding the lack of real contests and the limiting qualifying criteria for the Head of State position.
Mr Yeoh pointed out that since the institution of the elected presidency in Singapore, there have been five presidential terms, with only one occasion featuring a genuine contest. He also criticized the notion that only CEOs of the largest corporations and former senior public officials are deemed qualified to hold the position of Singapore’s Head of State.
He called this qualifying criteria “unappealing” and asserted his belief that a broader range of candidates should be considered for the role.
It remains to be seen what position the PEC ultimately takes on Mr. George Goh’s eligibility for the upcoming race, while the public eagerly awaits the committee’s final decision on who will qualify to contest against establishment pick, Mr Tharman.
SINGAPORE: In the second instalment of their video series on public housing in Singapore, Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) went back in history to explain how the current housing issues came about.
And while the goal of the Housing Development Board (HDB) has always been accessibility and affordability, Assoc Prof Lim said that in today’s reality, wait times for a house can realistically last for as many as five to six years. Flats in areas such as Dawson that used to cost around S$600,000 now fetch prices close to one million dollars (SGD) on the resale market.
The first efforts to provide housing were massively successful, the Sengkang GRC MP said. From only 8.8 per cent of the population living in HDB flats, the figure is now over 80 per cent.
But having achieved this, the HDB turned to other goals, he added, which is when the Asset Enhancement Program came into place.
“In the 1990s, Singapore experienced a construction and property boom. House prices between 1990 and 1996 rose by more than threefold. In order to meet this demand, HDB started to build all over the island. Unfortunately, as many of us know, in 1997, we had the Asian Financial Crisis. Prices of all assets, including housing, collapsed.
As a result, HDB was left with a large stock of housing at the time.”
And around the same time, BTO or Built to Order Flats were introduced. They ensured that HDB would not be left with a large supply of housing units as they would only be built on demand.
As a consequence of these policies, many Singaporeans came to expect that house prices would move in only one direction, up but never down. Singaporeans also came to believe that their houses would be a key source for their retirement.
He added, “Unfortunately, in 2017, then Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong suggested that the SERS programme would only apply to a small fraction of HDB flats. Hence, for the vast majority of Singaporeans, this would not be available for their retirement incomes, and their flats would eventually expire with a value of zero.”
SERS (Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme) is a government programme to renew older housing estates. It allows eligible residents to have an opportunity to move to a new home with a new 99-year lease.
Assoc Prof Lim said that how the government plans to address the issue would be the topic of the next video.
On Wednesday (Aug 16), Sengkang GRC MP Louis Chua explained the crux of Singapore’s public housing dilemma, that homes are expected to be both affordable and investment at the same time./TISG
