Taxi Flag-Down Rates Go Up: What’s the Real Reason?

By

The Independent

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October 26, 2013

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Singapore’s taxi rates are the Bermuda Triangle of finance. If we could replicate them in the stock market, the US would have been celebrating a surplus last July. They have the magical tendency to go only upward, despite nigh-invisible improvements in service and availability.
“Uncle, stop here. I think my second mortgage ran out 200 metres ago”.

How Have Rates Gone Up?

Flag-down rates have risen for new taxi models. Because “What we want are new, more expensive taxis” claimed Singaporeans everywhere, according to the cab company’s imagination.
Some examples are ComfortDelGro’s Hyundai i40, with a flag-down rate of $3.70. SMRT’s Toyota Prius has a flag-down rate of $3.80 (because when you have a hybrid electric designed to use less fuel, it makes sense to charge more for trips.)
Trans-Cab’s Renault Latitude is the most exorbitant, with a flag-down charge of $3.90. For more details, see the coverage on Yahoo!
Over time, existing cabs will be phased out and replaced by these models. After which, the flag-down rates will be restored to their previous levels.
And also, bacon is fat free. Seriously, rates will stay at their wallet-gouging levels, because have you met cab company management? Somali pirates would accuse them of being too mercenary.

The Reasons We Think Flag-Down Rates are Going Up

Of course this is a job of last resort. When driving, I always think about the last resort I stayed at.

In our opinion (and opinion only), these are why flag-down rates are really going up:

Incentivise More Pick-ups
Lack of Serious Competition
Less Affordable Private Transport

1. Incentivise More Pick-Ups

Availability’s a big issue with cab companies. They get assigned COEs based on how available their taxis are; and the more cabs they have, the more money they make.
Problem is, our cab drivers pick up fewer people than a syphilitic drunk in a trendy nightclub. Remember, these people are pretty much self-employed. If they happen to be retirees with a paid-up home loan, they can afford to earn less.
So if one of them decides to queue up at Changi airport all day, and go home after six passengers, what can the cab companies can do?
Since they’re lacking a stick, they’re using a bigger carrot. A higher flag-down fee means more earnings per customer, and hopefully, better availability. This “strategy” is focused on raising the fees so high, even a jaded retiree will bother to start picking people up.
Maybe instead of doing that, they should, I dunno, hire a competent Human Resource manager? How’s that? This is what an interview is for. Weeding out the driven ones who really need the job (and there are plenty of cab drivers who genuinely work hard.)

2. Lack of Serious Competition

Eh, it’s a free market and you have a choice okay?

When one cab company raises its price, all the other cab companies follow suit. There’s no threat of a competitor undercutting them by retaining its fares.
(Can you imagine if all the Telcos did that? The people at CASE would burst an artery).
Thing is, a cab company can’t compete that way even if it wanted to. See, a cab company’s revenue doesn’t come from the fees they charge you. Their money comes from renting out their cabs. The drivers pay a rental fee for the use of the cab, and anything they make is theirs to keep.
In short, the drivers are more like clients than employees. And if a company insists their drivers charge less, their drivers will simply join another cab company (thus reducing the company’s rental revenues).
Because of this, all cab companies tend to move in tandem. When one raises fares, the others pretty much have to follow, or risk losing drivers.

3. Less Affordable Private Transport

Pictured: Private transport for the middle class.

If you’re taking a cab to get somewhere, chances are it’s because the bus or MRT won’t do. Too slow, the area is inaccessible, etc. So what’s your solution?
Buy a car? I doubt so, considering we have one of the most expensive car markets in the world.
Which leads to the same issue in point 2. Cab companies exist with little or no fear of boycott. Short of disparaging Facebook remarks, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Why Quibble Over a Small Increase?

Obviously, the worry isn’t that a cab ride costs 30+ cents more. The worry is the structure of the taxi industry; there are few checks against its upward price spiral.
Perhaps what we need are more cab companies, without raising the number of COEs set aside for them. The squeeze will prompt a more enthusiastic business approach from cabbies. Otherwise, we might want to reconsider the whole cab rental system.
Image Credits:
David Sifry, tallkev, Vasenka Photography, Lagomorpha,
Source: http://www.moneysmart.sg/money-talks/taxi-flag-down-rates-go-up-whats-the-real-reason/

The End of the US Shutdown (and How it Could Still Affect Us)

By

The Independent

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October 26, 2013

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So, this week the US avoided a historic default on their debt, with US President Barack Obama passing a bill that ended a 16-day government shutdown. What this really means for the layman is significant: everyone can go watch the Panda Cam at the Smithsonian again (I’m sure we in Singapore can all empathise, eh?). While we won’t know fully what economic calamities would have befallen us should the default have happened, an explanation of the shutdown and some basic preparations for the near future are in order:

Americans need to learn from us. That’s one hell of a dirty ceiling to distract Congress with.

Quickie Explanation: How Does a Shutdown Happen Anyway?

There are two general models of democracy: the Washington model, and the Westminster model.
Each model divides government into three arms:

An executive (proposes new plans, policy shifts, laws, etc.)
A legislature (either accepts or rejects what the executive proposes)
A judiciary (once the proposals are passed by the legislature, these guys enforce them)

The division of power ensures that no single arm of government can seize control of the country. The executive can only propose, but not approve. The legislature can only approve, but not propose anything new, etc.
In the Westminster model (which Singapore follows), our executive and legislature are joined. Our executive (the Prime Minister and his Cabinet) also get to vote in Parliament. So they can both propose and approve.
That’s different from the Washington model. President Obama (the executive) is separate from Congress and the Senate (the legislature). The US President doesn’t get to vote in either of those. So he couldn’t just step in and force his budget through.

Washington Model, as interpreted by China

Also, the US has a bicameral legislature. For President Obama’s proposals to be approved, they have to be okay’ed by both the US Congress and Senate*. It’s a bit tougher than Singapore’s unicameral system, where Parliament is our only layer for approval.
Right now, President Obama has majority support in the Senate, but not in Congress. Hence, his budget got blocked. The conservatives in Congress didn’t want to fund his healthcare scheme, so they threatened to keep the budget blocked until the President backed down.
(*Congress has proportional representation. The bigger the state, the more representatives it has. The Senate has just two representatives per state, regardless of population.)

What are the Consequences?

The budget funds the civil service in the United States. Blocking it threatened the pay of several hundred thousand civil servants, including those in health care, emergency services, administration, etc.
The wider threat, which has now passed, was debt default: if the budget hadn’t passed, the US debt ceiling wouldn’t have been raised. This would have caused some US debts to be written off, and further downgrade the country’s credit worthiness.

What is the Impact?

Let’s compromise! It’s is the best way to settle anything!

Did you invest heavily in equities or the US dollar? If you did, it was like having the train you’re on hijacked by morons who can’t drive it. Even though the shutdown is over, there are ripple effects:

It impacts QE tapering
It may funnel investments into emerging markets
Potential rise in market volatility
May drive further investments into gold

1. It impacts QE tapering

Quantitative Easing (QE) is a US fiscal policy that’s meant to stimulate their economy. This is mostly done by aggressively buying back US Treasury bonds, hence putting more US dollars into circulation.
QE was expected to “taper off” this year, as the US economy improved. But the shutdown may have stalled that. Broker Jeremy Foo says:
“While their government is shut down, they don’t have anyone running the data. And so as long as they have no economic data, they probably won’t decide to initiate QE tapering. The shutdown may have stalled QE tapering from 2013 to 2014. That could keep interest rates (He means for loans – ed.) down for a while more.”

2. It may funnel investments into emerging markets

Emerging Markets: Invest manure and reap profit (i.e. the reverse of US Treasury Bonds right now).

With the US looking more and more like a three-legged horse, some investors have begun looking for alternatives.
“I have shifted some of my investments to Emerging Market (EM) bonds,” investor Eugene Poir told me, “Even with the shutdown over, you can see the interest rates on US treasury bonds are rising. It will be very much more expensive for the US to borrow now.
I think now the US is not infallible like we imagine. At least with EM bonds I know the risk comes with better returns. With the US, I don’t know. Returns are not as good, and we can see this sort of crisis also happens.”

3. Potential rise in market volatility

Jeremy seems to echo Mr Poir’s sentiments, on the issue of risk aversion. Expect some wild swings in the market, in the coming months.
“The government in the US has just gotten back up, and companies are still tallying the costs,” Jeremy says, “If there has been an impact in someone’s supply chain, or sales were affected, we will find out in short order. Expect to see that whipsaw pattern on your charts…”
(Whipsaw = when a security’s price rises or falls quickly, and then moves back to its original price just as fast)

4. May drive further investments into gold

The seminars stop short of telling you to melt them into a giant ox, and start worshiping it.

Gold enthusiasts are already jumping on this. It’s more historical evidence to suit their investing beliefs. Charlie Sng, who avowedly invests only in property and gold, says:
“This is another reason you should not invest in paper money. Even the world’s most secure currency is subject to this kind of risk. In a matter of weeks, something you have no control over can wipe you out.”
Admittedly, that’s a bit of an extreme view, but Jeremy admits that:
“It does present a case for gold or other alternative investments. Just diversify your portfolio. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, because you cannot predict when this sort of crazy thing will happen.”
Image Credits:
Glyn Lowe Photoworks, 1 Million Views, Thanks, tiarescott, Images_of_Money, digitalmoneyworld
Source: http://www.moneysmart.sg/money-talks/the-end-of-the-us-shutdown-and-how-it-could-still-affect-us/

Whither the CCAs in our schools?

By

The Independent

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October 25, 2013

0

1988_Olympic_Winter_Games_medals _resized — Source

By Bernard Pereira

I look at the list of Schools’ CCAs (co-curricula activities) today and I begin to wonder where Singapore sport is headed.
Where in the past, we used to focus our sights on the loftiest ideal, the Olympics, or, failing that, the Asian Games, or at least the SEA Games, today I’m not so sure anymore.
What, with games like tchoukball, frisbee, rope-skipping and floorball in our schools sports diet? I am truly floored!
None of the four is an Olympic sport, to start with! With games like these, who needs Olympic or Asian Games champions?
And to think we fell head over heels in love with people like Ang Peng Siong, Junie Sng and Joscelin Yeo, all swimmers, and Chee Swee Lee in track and field in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties.
For the record, they were all still schooling when they registered some of their biggest achievements for Singapore.
Swee Lee won the 400m gold medal in the Asian Games in 1974. Peng Siong won his gold medal in the 1982 Asian Games’ 100m freestyle. Junie won two golds in the 400m and 800m backstroke in the 1978 Asian Games when she was just 14!
Was it any surprise our minds then had a common trajectory. We were all tuned to the Olympic ideal. Nothing less.
Of course, we still have swimming, football, track and field, hockey, badminton, table-tennis and a host of others played in schools today. Then, why don’t we just focus our sights on these sports? Or better still, choose a select few in which we feel we can excel.
Because talent in a city-state of only 5.3mil – which includes 1.5mil foreigners who are not eligible to represent us – is a prime commodity, and should only be channelled into activties that can reap world-class Olympic-based honours.
Lest we forget, in such competitions, we’ll be pitted against countries with massive talent bases, like China, with 1.4bil population, or Japan (127mil) or UK (64mil). Against such odds, we need the creme de la creme of our talented crop.
Otherwise, why dangle the Singapore National Olympic Council cash carrots for gold, silver and bronze medals in the Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games? Who are those rewards for? Might as well take them down if the schools – our breeding ground for raw talent – are not on the same wavelength as our National Sports Associations and SNOC.

Now, I am not denigrating those newly-introduced sports. Nor the people connected to their introduction. Not at all.
I’m sure every one of these games has its own merits – each ultimately with its own world championship, too. But you’d have to agree that they are simply not in the same league or pedigree as the Olympics or Asiad.
Having said that, I’m befuddled as to why the NSAs and Singapore Schools Sports Council are not moving in tandem. Shouldn’t this call for a meeting of minds to decide once and for all the one common direction we are taking to international sports honours?
Look at it this way: You can continue to have tchoukball, frisbee, rope-skipping and floorball in the schools.
But please, hands off the young Olympic sports talents. They should be nurtured only for the key sports, like swimming, badminton, hockey and whatever other Olympic sport we know we can excel in.
Efforts to get a statement from national sports organisations, such as Singapore Sports Council, Singapore Schools Sports Council and even the Ministry of Social and Family Development, drew a blank.
Ms Charlotte Chen Ting Ying, MOE Corporate Communications Executive, however, drew attention to the MOE webpage on CCA “for more information on CCAs in our schools.”
“Students who are keen on an activity not offered in school may obtain their school’s approval to start their own activities. This gives students the chance to pursue their specific interests or ideas, and expands the range of activities available in school. Students may also participate in community-based activities, to help nurture the spirit of social enterprise and enhance their links with the community at large,” a statement from the webpage read.

A Minister called Shanmugam and a puppy called Tammy

By

The Independent

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October 25, 2013

0

K Shanmugam’s involvement in a dispute between the rescuer of a dog and its adopter has thrust the Law and Foreign Minister into the spotlight again.
Not all are surprised because he has also met people involved in gay/lesbian issues and those with housing and other social problems. All these meetings have made their way into his Facebook and finally into the newspapers and TV channels.
Even Shanmugam’s recent effort to help an accident victim became a full-page report, accompanied by pictures, in The New Paper.
Singaporeans are not used to seeing their ministers resolving issues like this with the publicity machine in tow. So when a minister springs up and publicises his actions in Facebook and they then make the news, it is only normal for speculation to take over.
Why is he doing this? Doesn’t he have other more pressing matters to tackle?
Singaporeans are also not used to their ministers stepping into issues that don’t come under these politicians’ purview.
How will the other ministers feel? Is the PM ok with this?
There is no doubt that Shanmugam’s image is getting a makeover. And he seems to be making some headway with the sceptical types. Even a lady who is known to be anti-establishment liked his most recent Facebook post on Tammy.
The minister with a perpetual smile might continue to get more likes. But the real question is whether these likes will translate into more votes for his party, come the next GE. If it does, then Shanmugam is headed for big things.

Aids group: Let's talk about insurance

By

The Independent

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October 24, 2013

0

By Shaun Poon

Singapore’s Non-government Organisation for HIV and AIDS has called for a discussion with insurers on the provision of coverage plans for HIV and AIDS patients. The call was issued in an Action for AIDS (AFA) press release referring to India’s Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority’s draft insurance policy guidelines for India’s 2.4million HIV/AIDS patients.
In Singapore, current insurance policies rule out most claims from HIV or its complications. NTUC Income’s LUV plan, for example, only allows HIV claims for those infected through tainted medical blood transfusion or health workers who are infected on the job. Common infection causes such as sexual transmission and drug abuse are not included.
“Our insurance companies and Life Insurance Association of Singapore are capable of doing something given the positive growth figures that they have seen over the years,” said AFA in a press release.
The Times of India, which first covered the news of the draft guidelines, has since found India’s insurers “wary” of the challenges of sustainability, premiums, and patient confidentiality.

Job security in SMEs

By

The Independent

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October 24, 2013

0

The way we see it, The Independent Singapore News

One reason young job-seekers cite for preferring to work in the civil service and multi-national corporations (MNCs) rather than small and medium-sizes enterprises (SMEs) is that there is “no future” in the latter. Unfortunately, the Association for SMEs has overlooked one major plus smaller companies have over the big boys: the opportunity to understand how business, businessmen and the market and customers function.
SMEs are great stepping stones to higher goals, including one’s own business in a few years – one can learn so much more multi-tasking in an SME than sitting behind a desk in a bureaucratic environment.
What small and medium employers can do on their part is to try and ensure everyone gets along – as friends, not family. More often than not, we can’t stand our relatives, right, but would make more of an effort with friends.

Where were the parents?

By

The Independent

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October 24, 2013

0

Human rights organisation Maruah observed Children’s Day with a debate by school students on a provocative topic: Parents are subverting the development of their child’s potential. This was followed by a panel discussion. Educationist Mary George was one of the panellists. Here she talks about the students’ passion, the parents’ absence, the blame game and finally and where the grandparents’ fit in.

1. What were the highlights of last Saturday’s session?

The youthful passion with which the debaters spoke was the highlight for me.

2. There was hardly any parent present. Why was that so?

Saturday afternoons are precious. A parent who has nothing to do with either Maruah or the Debating Association would have many other attractive enough options, hopefully having fun with their kids. In which case, why would parents want to come to a debate with a motion that clearly singles them out in a negative way, referring to them as “the main culprits”?

Many parents are tired of being blamed for every other thing that goes wrong with children. I am concerned by the unprecedented level of parent bashing going on all around us. Even people with absolutely no professional grounding in child development take their shots at parents: anything seen as undesirable in a child is so quickly attributed to parenting styles, genes (from parents, of course) or a combination of both. With all that finger pointing in their direction, why would parents want to come, knowing that at least half the debate will be villianising them?

3. You are an educationist. Is it possible to see visible changes in the way our children are educated?

Every time I step into a school, I see wonderful changes that have already taken place. Enlightened ways of guiding and counselling students, far more hands-on activities, student-run events and student councils that do actually have a voice.

I see more than enough evidence that our children are being educated in warm and caring ways by teachers and school leaders. Unfortunately, we still hear occasional accounts of punitive practices. As in any profession, there are rogue teachers – human beings whom I suspect would have anger management issues or be bullies in whatever jobs they hold. It takes only a single teacher like that to strike enough fear in kids, making school a negative experience. That is the one change I would like to see – school leaders being alerted more quickly to rogue teachers’ actions so that they can be dealt with. These teachers give the teaching profession a bad name and that is unfortunate because I believe they really are a tiny minority.

4. Parents blame government, government blames parents. Who do the children blame?

Children are less prone to looking for targets to blame in the way we adults do. They may grumble but that tends to be not as deep rooted. Because younger children are more egocentric, some land up blaming themselves when they see parents or teachers getting upset. Blame is appropriate when there is a wrongdoing. But, otherwise, it would be good to resist our inclinations to blame and instead work together – schools, families and the larger community – on addressing issues.

5. Where do the grandparents fit into this?

Grandparents are the one truly been-there-done-that group we have. I can see grandparents being amused by the debate’s motion because they know how much schools (and ways of parenting) have changed. Also, many of them are tickled by today’s superhuman expectations of parents. I would love to see the microphone being passed to grandparents. Wouldn’t it be fun to have them debate this motion? They would bring a degree of depth beyond the reach of children and even younger adults. And, because grandparents get to step out and look in, we would benefit so much from their wisdom… and humour.

Singapore's innovation trap

By

The Independent

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October 24, 2013

0

By Thusitha de Silva

When Morgan Stanley’s head of emerging market equities, Ruchir Sharma, recently excluded Singapore from his list of breakout emerging countries in the next decade, not many would have been surprised. His remarks were related to growth prospects of countries he singled out as breakout nations, including Asean neighbours Thailand and the Philippines. Singapore has moved beyond emerging market status and there are expectations that Singapore’s economic growth will not be able to match the consistently high rates prior to the advent of the global financial crisis in 2008.
Still, Sharma articulated two points in particular that offered some food for thought for those who care about Singapore’s future. He was bullish on the growth prospects of South Korea, citing its innovative capabilities and ability to produce global brands—like Singapore, South Korea is not exactly an emerging country. He also said that governments would do well to count the mounting costs of state capitalism and start cutting back the role of the state, and putting more of their state-owned companies in private hands.
For Singapore, these two points are arguably inter-related. It’s no secret that the state has an overwhelming influence on Singapore’s economy. You only have to look at a reliable proxy for Singapore’s broader economy like the Straits Times Index, which contains the largest home-grown companies, to understand their wide reach. About half of the 30 companies in the benchmark index are linked to state-owned Temasek Holdings, including the likes of Singapore Airlines, DBS and CapitaLand. Such companies tend to be among the bigger employers in Singapore, and this is even before we factor in the civil service as well as workers in government-linked bodies like the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and PUB.
Lack of excitement
With such a huge responsibility to the Singapore workforce, it would be reasonable to think that these entities should set trends in innovation, and to some extent they have. For instance, CapitaMall introduced the first real estate investment trust (REIT) in Singapore in 2002, helping to create a new asset class for many investors, LTA was the driving force behind the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, which was introduced in 1998, while the PUB can take credit for the development of NEWater.
Such organisations have been lauded for their excellence not only in Singapore but overseas too. But for many Singaporeans, such innovations don’t really set the pulse racing. Despite Singapore’s heady economic development since independence, there has never been a Samsung or Hyundai. Perhaps Singapore Airlines has come closest to being a global brand, but it is facing increasing competition in its space and is not the world’s best airline any more.
It would appear that a key quality of a global brand is to have a sense of patriotism that makes you want to buy local products. Many global brands tend to be big in their home markets, too. In fact, they would need to become big in their local markets before they can venture abroad. But even as they do so, there’s often still room to grow in their local markets.
This doesn’t tend to be the case for Singapore. Companies from the city-state venture overseas because there is a limit to Singapore’s capacity for their goods or services. So, the motivation to grow is somewhat different. The city-state tempers this situation by always trying to identify new trends that it can leverage on–hence, the recent announcements by the government relating to 3D printing and space technology. However, any regional leadership in these areas from Singapore necessarily requires that there be bigger markets elsewhere for such things. Otherwise, it is unlikely to work out for the city-state.
With a small domestic market, it is hard to grow a global brand, but not impossible. For instance, Switzerland is famous worldwide for precision watches and chocolates–things that people can get passionate about. What’s stopping Singapore for creating something that stirs the passions? Perhaps it has something to do with the heavy presence of the government in the local economy.
Innovation is hard, but it is likely even harder to legislate for innovation. In the meantime, one gets the feeling that innovation is not necessarily fun here as it has to be pursued with some concrete end-result within a specified time frame. If an innovator’s passion is dictated by terms and conditions, that’s more than half the battle lost. Singaporeans are not dumb. They don’t wholeheartedly embrace anything that seems contrived or dishonest. There can be no short-cuts or innovation vouchers.
For it to work, innovation has to be lived, with no constraints. The process may hurt, may be prolonged, but at the end of the day, it has to bring joy to a lot of people. Singaporeans have made Singapore rich enough to encourage such activity with no terms and conditions. Failure is an option. And if you must mention it, though it seems a bit tardy and petty to do so in this context, profits will certainly follow.

30 & Single: Haunted Memories of Materialism

By

The Independent

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October 24, 2013

0

Ivan Seah shares with Elias Tan the traumatic experience of his previous relationship.

Here’s a question that is often asked of older people, but sometimes also of those barely starting out in life, including two of the youngest candidates at 2011 Singapore General Election: What is your biggest regret?

For 30-year-old hairdresser Ivan Seah, it was dating his former girlfriend. “She is materialistic and demanding,” sighs Ivan. “She berated me whenever she has the chance to, thinking she’s always right.

“Once, we were at a cafe together with friends; she indignantly chided me for shifting a lounge chair to our table.” All Ivan had planned to do was swap for comfortable seats. In return, he was yelled at by the person he loves. Yes it stings. But that did not stop him from loving her and pandering to her requests for expensive gifts – including an LV key pouch and Japanese labelled apparels – and posh restaurant meals.

As the relationship progressed, Ivan felt stifled under her thumb. Until the day she initiated a break up… “Freedom!” chimes Ivan. Finally free from his girlfriend’s clutches, Ivan was elated. “She wouldn’t allow me to break up with her, because in her context it’s not right.”

What about her? The materialistic girlfriend went off with a man who could afford her the lifestyle that she pined for.

Lesson learnt; do not shower a materialistic girlfriend with gifts, because she will never be satisfied. Especially when you cannot afford it with a salary of less than $2,000 per month.

‘Material girls’ are aplenty. And they give women a bad name. They aspire to be ‘tai-tais’ and would stop at nothing to achieve their aims of marrying a rich man. Some would even be contented to be a rich man’s mistress.

In a recent study that sought to measure materialism, conducted by Singapore Management University Professor Norman Li, Singapore women polled an average of 3.98 points, compared to their American sisters’ score of 3.74, with higher scores suggesting that a woman is more materialistic a woman. According to the survey, a man’s social status is the top criterion for Singapore women when it comes to looking for a potential spouse.

But then, are Singapore women materialistic, or just realistic? Given Singapore’s high cost of living, a couple will need a lot of money just to survive and raise a family, let alone lead an affluent lifestyle.

Moreover, with Singapore’s increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates, the proportion of residents aged 65 and above will continue to rise. A rising proportion of the elderly translates into higher socio-economic costs for all Singaporeans, regardless of stripes. As of 2011, the percentage of elderly residents in Singapore increased to 9.3 percent, up from 7.2 percent in 2000.

In short, Singapore’s cost of living is expected to keep rising. And women who want to afford an affluent lifestyle will have to rethink their decision.

***
Nowadays, Ivan looks forward to scouring the Internet for the latest hair and fashion trends, jamming with his band mates after work and going out with his new partner. If time permits, Ivan would step into the kitchen and whip up a tasty dish for his family. “I don’t cook for money, but for survival,” says Ivan.

Ivan says he is not planning on getting married anytime soon. “Probably when I’m nearing 40,” he says. Not unless he feels that he is financially stable.

“Singapore’s cost of living is very high; honestly, I would only feel safe and assured to settle down if I can bring home $5,000 – $6,000. Everything – from public transport to food – is pricey!”

“By the time my partner and I get married, we may have to settle for an adopted child,” Ivan adds. For unless he marries someone much younger, his wife then would be near the end of her child-bearing age. Child adoption for older couples is one way to salvage Singapore’s plunging birth rate.

This brings us to the point of whether or not the Singapore Government has done enough to help average Singaporeans tide over a turbulent economy, settle down and start a family. Tax relief schemes and bonus payoffs are helpful. But are they really taking effect? Apparently not, judging from birth statistics. The country’s birth rate hit a record low of 1.15 per woman in 2011. This is sharply lower than the replacement rate of 2.0 per woman.

Then again, it boils down to the type of lifestyle a family intends to lead. If you want your children to excel academically and enter University, you will have to set aside money for their higher education.

And how much would that be? From kindergarten to university, inclusive of home tuition fees that most parents feel their children need, it would add up to several hundred thousand dollars. Ivan would have to start saving. Now.

Should we be mainly Singaporean?

By

The Independent

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October 23, 2013

0

By Tan Bah Bah
The subtext of that question are these points:
Should we not be more cosmopolitan?
Being regional has its limitations.
Being Singa-centric is even worse.
We have no choice – change or we stagnate.
Who is Singaporean and what is it?
New immigrants, new Singapore?
Fishing village, anyone?
The question in the headline posed by Mr Goh Chok Tong at a REACH Contributors’ Forum (the Government’s feedback unit) is odd. It is as if he suddenly feels that Singaporeans have to learn to live with people of races other than those they are familiar with and that they are too closeted in their outlook.
First point first. The business of race is something we need to talk about a bit more openly.
There is a school of thought that it is the Government which has, whether inadvertently or not, been responsible for the inability of many Singaporeans to see beyond their racial origins. Think CDAC, Sinda, Mendaki, SAP schools and a host of race-based institutions.
Years ago, during a live telecast of a select committee in session, Lee Kuan Yew found out to his surprise that an RSAF captain had no non-Chinese friends. The first PM asked: How come? The officer could not give an answer other than that it just happened.
Over-emphasis of Mandarin-speaking in later years did not help non-Chinese feel very comfortable about the direction of Singapore’s cultural makeup. I always thought that the policy-implementers had been more than a tad overzealous in pinyinising well-known street and place names. We lost Nee Soon to Yishun, nearly lost Raffles to a weird undecipherable concoction and lost Tekka for a number of years to Zhujiao before reverting to Tekka, much to the relief of many Singaporeans. I also noticed one famous MediaCorp star kept insisting in her interviews that she stayed in Zhenghua when many more Singaporeans knew her estate as Bukit Panjang.
A study on racial and religious harmony released in July by the Institute of Policy Studies showed that the majority of Singaporeans did not have a close friend of another race. Only about 45 per cent of respondents did.
This insensitivity to the existence of a real world – right here, right now – other than an artificial Middle Kingdom-centred one seven hours’ flight away from the authentic one in north-eastern Asia is going to be a big problem in the years to come.
This leads to the second point. With the rise of China, and a perception of more business opportunities presented by the world’s second largest economy, there would appear to be every reason to forget about everything else – and join the scramble.
But forget that it has been only 49 years since we could decide our own destiny? Forget that this country has been built by the sweat of local Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians?
Forget that we have to be unique for us to find a place in the world? Who needs us if we are just a mini-China, especially when they can easily cut us out of the picture and deal directly with the mainland Chinese? For example, does Malaysia really need us at all? The country has 6.9 million Chinese, twice the number of Chinese in Singapore. Other countries in the region have their own Chinese connections – Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam.
Much has been said about how Deng Xiaoping was so stunned by the success of Singapore when he was here in 1978 that he was went back to China determined to open up the country and use it as a model for Beijing’s journey back to the open market world.
It must be pointed out that the Singapore he saw and was impressed with was built by, to repeat what I said, the sweat of local Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians.
The issue is not whether we should have our feet planted in this region before we fly all over. We have to. It is non-negotiable. We are what we are. And this is our first natural hinterland – our geographical and cultural reality from which any other expectation can only be an illusion.
Ironically, it was the first-generation PAP leaders who saw strength in Singapore’s racial composition and sought to maintain that mix when they embarked on the public housing programme. They also saw that a strong command of English gave us an edge over other countries in an English-dominated inter-connected world.
Become a totally sinicised society and we are of no use to anyone.
Mr Goh Chok Tong also asked: “Should we be a global city? Or should we be a regional centre?” We should be both.
The most important thing is that we be ourselves even as we strive to be relevant. Yes, we can live with that – being mainly Singaporean. It has worked well so far.

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