More people are out and about, due to the easing of pandemic regulations. However, along with more people in public has arisen the problem of fewer taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV). Many netizens have undoubtedly recently seen posts, photos, and videos of people waiting in line just to get a ride home.
After allegedly complaining for two years to no avail, a concerned resident took to social media to highlight their HDB shared corridor situation looking like a storage unit.
“I have been complaining for 2 years to oneservice apps, but nothing is done,” wrote Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Sue Tiara on Monday (May 15). “The only update I receive is case closed even though the hoarding gets worse,” noted Ms Tiara.
Passenger frustrated as bus forced to slow down for cyclists taking up whole lane
Photo: FB screengrab/Complaint Singapore
A passenger wondered if cyclists think the road belonged to them after witnessing two cyclists taking up an entire lane and forcing the bus behind them to move slowly.
“I was on bus 61 along Holland Road when I came across this,” wrote Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Ayaka Elyce Watanabe, attaching a corresponding video of the incident. The 18-second footage showed Ms Watanabe was a bus passenger travelling behind the two cyclists.
Jamus Lim: “I understand that our salaries simply don’t go as far in the face of ever-rising prices”
Photo: FB screengrab/ jamuslim
After some Anchorvale residents spoke to Jamus Lim about the rising cost of living, the Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (Sengkang GRC) took to Facebook to write about possible solutions aside from raising salaries.
The burden of higher prices weighs especially heavily on those who live on fixed incomes, one resident told Assoc Prof Lim. The MP wrote on a May 15 Facebook page that he had covered 10 floors during a house visit 317D at Anchorvale and “had a significant number of engaged conversations.”
Woodlands community cat naps on GrabFood delivery bag over other cat beds, residents give cat 5-Star “Sayang” (Love)
Photo: FB screengrab/Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats
Cat owners can fully relate to the fact that these lovable felines showcase unfathomable quirks, such as suddenly staring into a specific spot in a room, causing much anxiety to those nearby.
Another common cat quirk is choosing any other thing to sleep in except for their designated cat beds, which often cost a fortune. Such was the case for a community cat in Woodlands who said no to a couple of available cat beds and chose a food delivery bag instead.
“Don’t be a self-entitled person,” wrote a netizen to a cyclist caught on camera taking up the middle lane of Keppel Road, resulting in a frustrated Mercedes driver behind him.
In a turn of events, it appears that the Mercedes driver was the bigger culprit for resorting to road rage behaviour and almost missed the entrance to the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).
The video, uploaded by YouTube account MK Che and shared on road community Facebook pages like ROADS.sg, begins with a group of cyclists waiting by a junction.
Photo: YT screengrab/MK Che
As the traffic lights turned green, the cyclist went on their way, keeping to the far left lane.
However, one of the cyclists remained in the middle lane, as he wasn’t entering the expressway at the split junction.
Moments later, a black Mercedes was spotted behind the cyclist.
Photo: YT screengrab/MK Che
“Despite a relatively empty Keppel Road with no other vehicle on the right lane, a black Merc blaring honk and tailgating cyclist on middle lane, even it is easily for Merc to overtake cyclist on the right lane,” wrote MK Che.
At one point, a lorry appeared behind the Mercedes and had to slow down before transferring to the far left lane to overtake.
Photo: YT screengrab/MK ChePhoto: YT screengrab/MK Che
The tailgating continued until near the AYE entrance, the Mercedes driver almost missing the expressway.
Photo: YT screengrab/MK Che
“The driver spent almost 40sec trying to road bully a vulnerable cyclist without paying attention to his direction and route,” said MK Che.
“Cyclist was NOT wrong to have been on that lane except he was too early forming up,” noted ROADS.sg.
“The bigger culprit was the black Mercedes driver for road raging and bullying the cyclist. All cyclists are allowed on our shared roads,” it added.
Netizens commented on the video, noting the cyclist could have stayed on the left-most lane instead of filtering too early.
“The cyclist is hogging the road and causing many cars to slow down! Don’t be a self-entitled person. Go to the park and cycle if you have this kind of attitude. Safe for every road user!” wrote Facebook user Andy Yeo in a comment with over 170 likes.
“The culprit is not the black Mercedes; it’s the black shirt cyclist who is hogging the road in the centre lane. Who cycles in the centre of a three-lane road? What a self-entitled person,” added Facebook user Kelvin Tan.
Netizens also commented on MK Che’s video, noting that the other cyclists kept to the left-most lane and made it in time before going up AYE. “Either the cyclist in black is trying to be a jerk hogging up everyone’s time, or he is not skilled enough to change lanes like other cyclists, including the owner of the video. Either way, best stay off the road,” advised YouTube user Victor Png.
Road users are reminded to practise patience and graciousness, as well as defensive driving to minimize safety risks. /TISG
A video of a recent fight over an ATM machine at Geylang went viral on TikTok, but some netizens, citing the number of fights that have been seen on social media, are expressing concerns for their safety.
The TikTok shows a man sitting with blood oozing from his head. Blood can also be seen on the floor around him. Nearby, one man can be seen castigating another man, who is wearing a black sleeveless shirt and who appears to have been involved in the fight.
Later in the clip, police can be seen at the scene of the fight, which is said to have occurred on May 12. One man was brought conscious to the hospital after the incident.
The Tiktok was uploaded on May 13 on @hasanrakib789’s account. It has since been viewed over 387,000 times.
Photo: TikTok screengrab/@hasanrakib789
The man in the black shirt is said to have been in a queue at a POSB ATM at 250 Sims Avenue in Geylang. Shin Min Daily News reported that he ran out of patience with the man in front of him, and started a fight.
Police responded to an alert shortly before 8pm on May 12, and arrested two men, 43 and 53, for affray.
They are currently investigating the matter.
Commenters on TikTok expressed safety concerns, given the number of fights that have been in the news lately.
However, this is by no means the first time that a fight has broken out in Geylang.
Last year, Bloomberg Billionaires Index listed Mr Forest Li, Shopee founder, as the richest person in Singapore.However, the co-founder of Sea Ltd., a holding company for Shopee, has since lost over 80 percent of his fortune due to a market crash that caused the world’s 500 richest people to lose over $US1 trillion (SGD1.4 trillion) this year.
At one point, Sea Ltd, SeaMonkey, and Garena were widely perceived to be the most valuable technology company in Southeast Asia, with e-commerce, online gaming, and digital payment businesses. The global consumer internet company has 33,000 employees. Mr. Forest Li, Shopee founder, is also the owner of Lion City Sailors FC. Despite these substantial Shopee losses, his wealth still amounts to a significant figure. Bloomberg Wealth reported his net worth at US$4.7 billion (SGD6.5 billion), although he’s no longer listed among the world’s top 500 wealthiest.
And Sea’s problems may be far from over. The managing director at Blue Lotus Capital, an independent equity research firm in Hong Kong, Shawn Yang, is quoted as saying that the company “is going to see increasing challenges in 2022.”
Like other tech companies that soared when the Covid-19 pandemic began, Sea is now facing difficulties due to an increase in interest rates as well as the tensions due to the war in Ukraine.
Mr Yang also said that Sea is facing renewed competition from rival businesses, including Alibaba, and that more and more people are shifting from online to in-person purchases as pandemic restrictions are eased.
Aside from Sea, other tech leaders who have experienced losses this year are Zoom’s Eric Yuan, who lost US$4.4 billion (SGD6.1 billion), and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who lost nearly US$58 billion (SGD81 billion).
Unperturbed by the Shopee losses, Mr. Forest Li told his employees in March that Sea’s valuation collapse “is short-term pain that we have to endure to truly maximize our long-term potential,” reports Bloomberg Wealth.
The report also says that despite the losses, analysts are still optimistic about Sea’s future.
Mr. Forest Li, 43, was born in Tianjin, China, but later became a Singaporean citizen.
Last December, Sea obtained a digital-banking licence in Singapore, as well as acquired Indonesia’s PT Bank Kesejahteraan Ekonomi, which should “allow the group to grow its SeaMoney business beyond payments to include lending, insurance, wealth management and other financial services,” according to Bloomberg analyst Nathan Naidu.
Free Fire, Sea’s mobile game, has been downloaded over 1 billion times on Google play, and Shopee has become the second-most downloaded shopping app on iOS and Android all over the world.
The company was founded in 2009 by Mr. Forest Li, Gang Ye, and David Chen. Sea’s two other founders have also seen a rise in fortunes, with the net worth of Mr Ye, the company’s chief operating officer, now at S$14.5 billion, and that of Mr. Chen at S$4.8 billion. Mr. Chen is the chief product officer at Shopee.
Mr. Ye, however, has lost US$4.3 billion this year (almost SGD6 billion), and Mr Chen’s fortune is no longer over US1 billion.
The journey of Sea Ltd. and its co-founder, Mr.Forest Li, underscores the volatile nature of the tech industry. Despite recent setbacks, including significant Shopee losses, the determination and resilience of its leaders illuminate the path forward. As the tides shift, there’s an undercurrent of optimism for Sea’s potential in expanding digital services, gaming, and e-commerce. While the landscape may be fraught with challenges, there’s always room for new strategies and solutions. Only time will tell how the Shopee founder and his team will weather the current storm, forge ahead, and redefine their success story. /TISG
Although public parking lots operate on a first-come-first-served basis, some individuals feel they can reserve one by using their bodies to chope the space. A woman blocking an available parking space at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) for her husband got into an altercation with an incoming vehicle. She even said she would get the police involved.
SG Road Vigilante posted dashcam footage on its YouTube channel of one of the latest parking chope incidents on May 15 at the MBS carpark. A woman in yellow appeared as the cam car approached a seemingly empty parking slot. She took her stance in the middle while the cam car positioned itself to reverse into the slot.
Despite the cam car driver’s clear intention of taking the parking space, the woman didn’t budge and began gesturing at the driver that it was unavailable.
“She say that she chope the lot for her husband, but there was no car there, and there was also a curb at the rear side, as you can see in the video; she also said that the husband was going to park his car,” the caption noted, citing the driver.
Photo: FB screengrab/SG Road Vigilante-SGRV
The cam car driver continued reversing slowly, forcing the woman to step aside. She then began knocking on the vehicle continuously.
“After that, the lady walked towards the driver’s seat window and said you were driving towards me,” said the driver.
Photo: FB screengrab/SG Road Vigilante-SGRV
Undeterred, the driver continued inching backwards until he could park fully.
“I insisted that we should get the security, but she said she will report it to the police,” the driver noted.
“She proceeds to walk away and says, ‘I will see you next week.’ Walao, first-time encounter,” the driver added.
Netizens commended the cam car driver for the victory, unlike other instances where vehicles lost to the individuals stubbornly reserving a parking slot.
“You did the right thing. We can’t be intimidated by such acts of bullying,” said YouTube user Uncle Salty.
“Cam driver, we support you. She has no right to chope the car park lot. Make a police report on her for trying to damage your car,” added another netizen.
Meanwhile, one Jonathan James Chapman-Lim had a public message to share:
“To all Singaporeans or foreigners or whoever that’s driving in SG out there, remember, doing what this lady did is not right. If you’ve missed the opportunity to get the lot, just accept it and move along. You can’t use a ‘human’ to chope a lot. You think it’s like hawker centre where you put tissues to chope?
Hawker centres are a different situation. Coz you need to buy food and eat at a table. This is a parking lot. Different. Please, lah, don’t embarrass yourselves like this. Still dare to bang on people’s cars. Luckily can see that this is a tough 4×4. Sigh.”
Here are other moments when people used themselves to chope a parking slot. /TISG
Cat owners can fully relate to the fact that these lovable felines showcase unfathomable quirks, such as suddenly staring into a specific spot in a room, causing much anxiety to those nearby.
Another common cat quirk is choosing any other thing to sleep in except for their designated cat beds, which often cost a fortune. Such was the case for a community cat in Woodlands who said no to a couple of available cat beds and chose a food delivery bag instead.
“Our community cats here ending their day early, all cuddled up,” wrote Facebook page Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats member Phoebe Ng on May 14. “They surely know too that rainy days are the best weather for sleeping in,” she added.
The member attached photos of the cat situation, where a black cat was all curled up on a round bed on top of an empty sleeping box. Beside it was another cat bed also unoccupied.
Photo: FB screengrab/Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats
A few feet away is the chonky cat sleeping comfortably on top of a chained GrabFood delivery bag.
Photo: FB screengrab/Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats
“So chonky! Dia deliver grab food ke dia order grab food?” asked Facebook user Achit Kas. “People order six nuggets but two missing,” she added jokingly.
Here’s a closeup of the cat in deep sleep that couldn’t be bothered by the photographer beside it.
Photo: FB screengrab/Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats
“Such a cosy scene to see the cats being pampered by the residents and feeders!” said Ms Ng, who added that the cats even have a customized carton box to scratch during their free time.
Photo: FB screengrab/Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats
The food delivery bag still wins over the cool carton box, though.
Who else is holding back the urge to give that bulging tum tum a few gentle slaps? /TISG
Photo: FB screengrab/Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats
The big beast of the geopolitical jungle will always dominate in the sense that they have the size and economies of scale. However, small nations need not be caught up in the struggles between the larger nations and maintain a sense of independence. The insect strategy of working together and using what you have to maximum effect is one that many small nations need to look at.
In the geopolitical jungle, it’s never a case of two giants colliding. The elephants of the geopolitical jungle have a way of bringing their other allies into the conflict. If you look at the current conflict in Ukraine as an example, you have the American Elephant with a few European hippos trying to take on the Russian bear along with its Belarussian mini-me. So, what do the smaller beasts do when larger beasts such as the elephants and hippos charge at each other? One of the answers may be to adopt the “insect strategy” and learn to work with partners of a similar size.
I mention this because, at the time of this writing, there’s been plenty of talk about the revival of superpower rivalries. We have the example of the Russian conflict in Ukraine, which has the revival of the “West” led by the USA moving to contain Russia, which from a European perspective was the “East.” In the economic sphere, it’s the West, represented by the USA and Australia against China, which is as “East” as it gets.
If you were to look at the geopolitical world as a jungle, you could say that you had elephants in the shape of the USA and China and to an extent India. Then we have the hippos, which are the larger regional economies like Germany and France, the UK on the European continent, Japan & South Korea in Asia and Australia. Russia is seen as the bear, which goes to try to show that it’s cute but is in fact quite vicious. As can be seen in nature documentaries, everyone gets out of the way when the larger animals fight because the damage in between can be extensive.
When these two giants charge against each other – everything between gets crushed
The Republic of Ireland is an example. When I was growing up in the UK in the late 80s and 90s, the Irish existed to be the butt of jokes like what’s 50 metres long and has an IQ of 50 – the answer being 50 Irishmen lining up for the bus.
However, when I returned to the UK in 1997 for university, the joke was on the British. Ireland joined the EU and became the “Celtic Tiger,” attracting high-tech investment. People who had fled Dublin for London suddenly ran back to Dublin because there was simply more action there. While the Irish economy went into recession and has lost some sparkle, the Republic of Ireland is a developed country, enjoying high standards of living by many measures. When Ireland first proclaimed Independence in April 1916, its largest export was effectively starving masses and the only noteworthy product was Guineas. Today, the largest export is computer services and Ireland is home to many pharmaceutical companies.
Change hasn’t been confined to economics. Ireland is famously Catholic and conservative. It is ethnically homogenous, with 92 per cent of the population classified as White. Yet, in 2017, the Irish elected an openly gay man of Indian origin to be Prime Minister and that was prior to having two ladies as President. Neither the US nor UK have elected a gay person to the top job and in Singapore, which is only 74 per cent plus Chinese, we still argue that we’re not ready to have a prime minister from outside the ethnic majority, even if we claim that we succeed because we are “regardless of race or religion.”
What happened? Well, unlike their British cousins across the Irish Sea, the Irish didn’t make too much of trying to have a say in EU politics. Instead, they focused on trade within the union. They kept taxes attractive low enough to attract investment from Europe and the USA and Ireland opened itself to the world. Sure, the UK remains Ireland’s largest trading partner, but Ireland is no longer the sore thumb of the UK. It is small and friendly, but at the same time works within the EU. The logic is simple – invest in Ireland and you have access to a much larger market.
Another small nation worth studying is New Zealand, which is effectively a boot on the corner of the globe. Unlike Australia, nobody thinks of New Zealand unless it comes to rugby (All Blacks) and Lord of the Rings scenery. However, New Zealand is a prosperous place (52nd largest economy in the world or 32ndif you look at the per capita figures).
What’s more interesting is the fact that unlike Ireland and the Asian Tigers, New Zealand is not a “sexy high-tech” economy. The largest export of New Zealand is milk. So, how does a country of only five million plus tucked away in the corner of the world build prosperity (In the words of the General Manager of Fonterra’s South and East Asian operation, “New Zealand is not advantaged in terms of geography when it comes to world trade)?
If Ireland is an example of why one should open up to the world, New Zealand is in many ways the living example of – it’s not what you have, but what you do with it that counts. New Zealand does not need to be the master of everything, but in the area where it is dominant, it is in a league of its own.
Take the All Blacks, New Zealand’s dominating rugby team. The statistics speak for themselves. The All Blacks have a 75 per cent winning record against all their major competitors, making them the most successful sports team in any sport. If you study the All Blacks, you’ll notice how New Zealand makes the most of what it has.
Likewise, there’s the export of milk, where New Zealand is to milk what Kuwait is to oil. One of its most interesting enterprises is Fonterra. Just like the New Zealand RugbyFootball Union, Fonterra is an example of how New Zealand’s limited resources are brought together in the most effective manner. What is particularly interesting is the fact that Fonterra is not a corporation but a farmer’s cooperative, which brings together New Zealand’s multitude of dairy farmers in working together.
The last two weeks have been good for one of the most covid-affected parts of business – networking. My current employer, who is a sponsor and honorary auditor of the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, sent me for two functions in the last two weeks.
It was great fun to be able to “press the flesh” and meet new friends. As with all functions, it was good to be able to eat, drink and be merry.
Taken from the Irish Chamber of Commerce Linkedin Page
On the personal front, it was good to be able to attend functions. However, what really struck me about these events was the fact that they gave me hope that there is an emerging global trend – namely the coming together of smaller nations to work together for common prosperity.
The first event I attended was a cooperation between the Belgium-Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce, the Irish Chamber of Commerce and the Finish Business Council. The second event was a collaboration between the New Zealand and Irish Chambers. The one feature that every country mentioned here cannot be described in any shape or form as a “power” but has somehow managed to become a prosperous and pleasant place.
After some Anchorvale residents spoke to Jamus Lim about the rising cost of living, the Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (Sengkang GRC) took to Facebook to write about possible solutions aside from raising salaries.
The burden of higher prices weighs especially heavily on those who live on fixed incomes, one resident told Assoc Prof Lim. The MP wrote on a May 15 Facebook page that he had covered 10 floors during a house visit 317D at Anchorvale and “had a significant number of engaged conversations.”
“As I always tell our residents (as well as #TeamSengkang), I do not believe in rushing through our visits, compromising the quality of feedback just to fulfill some vague target for block completion. Inevitably, this does mean that I have my work cut out for me in the months to come,” he wrote in his post.
One of those conversations had been about increased living costs, and Assoc Prof Lim, who teaches Economics at ESSEC Business School, wrote that it is “tempting” to turn to “some form of automatic wage increase that moves alongside rising prices,” which economists call wage indexation.
But this solution, however tempting, is not without dangers, since it can also affect inflation dynamics. He wrote that “a negative feedback loop may arise” when demands for higher salaries cause businesses to raise prices, which in turn could cause a greater demand for wage hikes.
But Assoc Prof Lim expressed sympathy for those who are struggling with higher prices.
“Even so, as a fellow human being and consumer, I also understand that our salaries simply don’t go as far in the face of ever-rising prices. This is the story of inflation in Latin America in the 1980s and 90s.”
He then proposed alternative solutions to “automatic (and risky) wage-adjustment mechanisms,” including relief.
He wrote, “since many items are subject to percentage taxation, the revenue for such support packages would come from a similar source: rebated taxes.”
“One way to see whether more can be done is to check if the government is experiencing any unexpected net revenue windfall. If so, there is more room (economists call it ‘fiscal space’) for relief, either with temporary and targeted tax cuts, or transfer packages to groups that are hurting,” he added.
Commenters praised Assoc Prof Lim for his post, as well as his service to his constituents.
One even wrote that it would be good if the MP could be Singapore’s Finance Minister.
A passenger wondered if cyclists think the road belonged to them after witnessing two cyclists taking up an entire lane and forcing the bus behind them to move slowly.
“I was on bus 61 along Holland Road when I came across this,” wrote Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Ayaka Elyce Watanabe, attaching a corresponding video of the incident. The 18-second footage showed Ms Watanabe was a bus passenger travelling behind the two cyclists.
Photo: FB screengrab/Complaint Singapore
“Not that I want to stomp people, but because of this cyclist who doesn’t know how to cycle in a straight line, the bus driver had to drive very slowly just to avoid crashing into them,” wrote the concerned netizen.
“Don’t they know that the road belongs to the vehicle and not bikes?” she asked, adding a hashtag she was a bit irritated.
This is not the first time cyclists have been caught on camera disregarding traffic or road rules.
It was instant karma for a cyclist who crossed a T-junction along Kembangan without stopping as a few short moments later, he collided with the bonnet of an oncoming vehicle.
In another incident, four cyclists blatantly disregarded the red light at a junction turning towards Anson Road, sparking yet another call from members of the public for stricter measures against reckless road users.
In January this year, a group of 11 “gangster” cyclists chased a driver who honked at them for hogging the road.
Cycling groups are limited to a maximum length of five bicycles due to space constraints on Singapore’s roads, said the Ministry of Transport after accepting the Active Mobility Advisory Panel’s fifth review of rules for road cyclists.
Beginning Jan 1, 2022, up to five cyclists will be allowed if the group is riding single-file or up to 10 cyclists if riding two abreast. /TISG
After allegedly complaining for two years to no avail, a concerned resident took to social media to highlight their HDB shared corridor situation looking like a storage unit.
“I have been complaining for 2 years to oneservice apps, but nothing is done,” wrote Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Sue Tiara on Monday (May 15). “The only update I receive is case closed even though the hoarding gets worse,” noted Ms Tiara.
She attached a photo of their shared corridor containing bicycles, trolleys, a shelf filled with carton boxes, and a table, among other belongings.
“This is clearly a fire hazard and high-rise killer litter,” said Ms Tiara.
She called out the Nee Soon Town Council and tagged their Facebook profile in her post, which appears to be a participant of the Complaint Singapore group.
Netizens commented on the post, urging the TC to address the matter. “This is very dangerous when something happens. Should leave it empty. They shouldn’t treat it as their place to put all this,” said Facebook user Car Fei Yin.
“Oh, Nee Soon TC, why am I not surprised. Dripping wet laundry we have been complaining for more than five years but still not resolved. They will tell you this by law, that by law. So long no people die, then it’s OK, la,” added Facebook user Ah Wei.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to the TC for a statement and will update the article accordingly. /TISG
