SINGAPORE: A new year of school begins next week. Parents may be rushing to finish up last minute errands like buying new uniforms, bags, water bottles and shoes.

They may have already scheduled a hair appointment to cut their child’s hair. They may also be busy wrapping and labelling new school books, and mentally planning the meals or snacks to fill their child’s lunch boxes with.

Some may be even more anxious than their children, particularly if they seem to be lagging in the areas of reading, writing or counting. Many would have gone ahead to plan their child’s tuition schedules for the coming year in a bid to beef up their perceived weaker areas.

But there are actually other skills that may be more crucial than those of literacy or numeracy. Academic skills may come in handy, but they tend to be over-emphasised to the detriment of other essential “softer” skills which can have more bearing on a child’s learning journey than most people realise. 

David Elkind, author of The Hurried Child, believes that for children to be successful in the first grade (the American equivalent of Primary One), they must be able to do three things: Be able to listen to an adult and follow instructions; be able to start a task and finish it independently; and be able to work cooperatively with other children, take turns, stand in line and share.

If I may add to this list of skills, I would include the ability to solve problems with words, the ability to make friends, and the ability to communicate with adults.

LEARN TO SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS

Problems are a natural occurrence in daily life. Next week, one child may likely forget to bring his homework, another to learn his list of words for a spelling test. But what can they do to solve their problems instead of shutting down due to anxiety, or hiding in the toilet when the English teacher comes around?

For many Primary One children, the first few weeks of school can be extremely stressful. As parents, we can help to mediate against stress by giving them ample chances to solve day-to-day problems on their own.

It may take some willpower to hold back and restrain yourself from helping, but remind yourself that swooping in too early robs your child of a valuable learning opportunity.

With daily practice at solving their own problems, such as learning to wipe up a spilled drink, or even erasing a word spelt wrongly, children grow in confidence, and begin to recognise their own ability to tackle new and difficult situations.

Another way to train children to solve problems is through scenario planning. Think of possible situations that may arise in school, such as those mentioned above, or other examples that you can use to weave a story. What happens if your child accidentally wets his pants, loses his water bottle, or leaves his shoes behind at a PE lesson?

Create a character for these stories so that it removes the spotlight from your child, and then brainstorm ideas on what to do together. Try to involve your child as much as possible, and do not throw out any ideas away during the brainstorming phase.

After you have a bunch of possible ideas to work with, discuss with your child. Ask questions such as, “Which do you think is best?” and “What do you think will happen if I choose plan B?”

Such a problem-solving approach was championed by psychologist Ross Greene, who coined the term “collaborative problem-solving.” Originally envisaged to help behaviourally challenging children and youths, it has since been expanded to apply to other learners.

ASKING AN ADULT FOR HELP

This point may seem obvious, but many children experience inhibition or shyness in approaching an adult, particularly if they are not yet familiar with the person.

Help your child see that teachers and other school staff members are there to provide care and assistance, not just formal academic instruction and discipline. Sometimes, a child may feel intimidated when the teacher is seen as fierce or loud, and this may hinder him or her from asking for help, even for simple matters like going to the toilet.

For such cases, it pays to prepare the child beforehand. Explain to him or her that a teacher may sometimes raise his voice to address the whole class, especially when the class gets rowdy. This does not mean that your child will get his ears chewed off if he asks the teacher for help.

Talk about appropriate ways of getting attention, such as raising a hand and then waiting to be called upon, or using polite words, such as beginning his request with “Teacher, may I …”

Where possible, perhaps during the school orientation, or when dropping your child off on the first day of school, point out important places such as the general office, so that your child knows where to go if he falls down and needs a plaster or bandage, or if he is feeling unwell.

FOSTERING A SENSE OF BELONGING

Why are friendships important at school? And why do we need to actively teach our kids how to make friends?

You might think that it comes naturally for most children, but the truth is, some prodding and specific instructions are required. It is the rare child who would confidently walk up to a peer, establish eye contact and say “Hi, my name is…”

I only need to look as far as my second child, who is entering Primary One in 2018, to know that most children struggle with feelings of shyness, unwillingness or just plain lack of experience.

I was speaking to a fellow mother about this, and she shared a good tip with me. She has been preparing her daughter for school by teaching her to say hello to the first person who sits next to her – likely at the assembly hall.

Another good way to establish a friendship is to ask for help. Some possible statements or requests that your child can use are: “Hi, sorry I can’t seem to find my pencil. Do you have an extra one?” or “Did you catch what the teacher said we were supposed to bring tomorrow?”

Having a friend can help foster a sense of belonging at school. Research has found that children with a strong sense of belonging are happier and exhibit fewer behavioural issues at school. They are also more motivated to learn and experience greater academic success.

It can also make the transition weeks at school a lot easier to bear when your child has a friend to talk to or sit with during recess.

Teachers can also play a big role in fostering belonging by ensuring their classroom is welcoming to every child, and by teaching and emphasising respectful relationships among students.

Knowing how to write, count, and copy words from a board are all great skills for a fresh primary schooler to have. But as we spend time building up our young ones in these areas, let’s not forget simple manners and social skills.

They may not be as easy and straightforward to teach as counting from one to 50, but these skills prime a young child for learning, and help them fit in and adapt to the school environment – which in turn sets them in good stead for the rest of their formative schooling years.

June Yong is a mother of three, an educational therapist and owner of Mama Wear Papa Shirt, a blog that discusses parenting and education in Singapore.

SINGAPORE: “Eat, breastfeed, repeat” – that’s the tagline for a shop that opened last month in the heartlands specialising in bakes for the new mum.

Ms Joanna Goy, 31, is among a growing number of home bakers who have taken to offering cookies, muffins and brownies that purportedly help lactating mothers produce more milk.

The response has been so good since Ms Goy started her online business, Singapore Lactation Bakes (SLB), in 2015 that she and her husband quit their banking jobs to establish a brick-and-mortar presence at The Promenade at Pelikat mall in Kovan. 

“We started out getting about 30 orders a month. Now we get up to 500,” said the mother of three. “When the demand started increasing, we moved operations to a shared kitchen, but even that wasn’t enough so we decided to set up a proper shop.”

Currently, the SLB store is a simple kitchen where the couple, together with an assistant, prepare cookies and muffins in flavours like butterscotch and oats, strawberry cream cheese and even Maltesers, which customers can collect over the counter. In time, Ms Goy, who is training to become a lactation counsellor, hopes to turn it into a space where her mummies clientele can interact with experts and each other.

“We only had door-to-door delivery, but with a physical shop, customers can collect their own orders and grab other products as well. We’ll also be providing takeaway drinks such as lactation lemon tea and chocolate, which are not available in the market yet,” said Ms Goy.

Ms Farhana Noor Mohamed is another home baker who has seen her business growing rapidly. The 32-year-old said she “needed a boost” after discovering she had a bun in the oven while still nursing her firstborn.

“I tried a variety of methods. I incorporated foods like salmon, soya bean and ajwa dates into my diet, and ate store-bought lactation cookies,” she said. “Some worked, some didn’t, some just didn’t taste good.

“Those that worked, I had to keep eating to maintain the boost. It got too expensive, especially for a stay-at-home mum, so I decided to bake my own cookies.”

Three years on, demand for Ms Farhana’s brand M3 Milk Making Mummy, has grown so much she has had to limit her orders to 40 bags a week to keep it manageable. She has also started hiring part-time riders, mostly students, to do deliveries. From just two flavours – ajwa and basic oats – M3 now offers six and also takes custom orders including those with no sugar for mothers who suffer from gestational diabetes.

“Ajwa chocolate chip and cranberry are my bestsellers,” Ms Farhana revealed. “I make S$600 a month just from those flavours.”

For some, the specialty bakes have been so popular they’ve outshone their regular cakes.

Ms Marian Wong, a 31-year-old business manager and founder of Marian’s Bakes, was only baking for friends when they started requesting for lactation cookies in 2015.

“The cookies worked for my friends, who then shared it with their friends. As time goes on, enquiries about my lactation goodies grew bigger than those about my other bakes,” she said.

Ms Wong has gone from selling just a pack a month to around 100 packs, and now offers muffins – her top-selling item. She changes the menu as often as twice monthly to keep things exciting for regulars, whom she said order from her “even when they don’t need the boost”. 

On top of muffins like caramelised banana butterscotch and strawberry jam swirl, Ms Wong also offers, on occasion and for a limited time, items like Thai tea muffins and butterscotch drizzle blondies.

Ms Siska Rini didn’t start out with lactation cookies either. Super Shaq Cookies were named after her seven-year-old son, whom she was trying to get to eat healthy.

“You can never go wrong with chocolate chip cookies when it comes to children. To get him excited about eating healthy, we would bake together and add ingredients like almonds and flaxseed to the batter,” said the 36-year-old, who quit her training executive job in Doha to be home with her family and was on a look-out for home-based work.

“I realised these ingredients were milk boosters after friends who ate my cookies reported producing more milk,” she said. “It was a happy coincidence!”

THE PROOF IS IN THE COOKIE

Do they really work? Yes, going by testimonials left behind by customers on the bakers’ social media pages. It’s also become a custom for mothers to Whatsapp photos of their pumping efforts to the sellers. 

“I find it very satisfying to receive messages from mummies who achieve results, especially those who had tried ‘everything’ and were sceptical. Some even send me photos of the inside of their fridge, well-stocked with milk!” said Ms Wong.

Ms Kang Phaik Gaik, senior lactation consultant at Mount Alvernia Hospital, said the efficacy of the cookies lies in the galactogogues (substances containing nutrients that support and promote breast milk production) they contain.

“As lactation consultants, we don’t recommend specific products to our clients – we correct their latching technique. But I do have clients tell me they have seen increased milk supply after eating lactation cookies, and I just say okay, as long as it’s hygienic.” 

“Ingredients matter,” said Ms Kang. “These cookies are made with known milk boosters like brewer’s yeast. Oats and herbs like fenugreek also help.”

Some home bakers provide their customers with learning material to help them get the most of the products. New SLB customers get digital pamphlets with information like how many to eat and what to expect.

“Some mummies react faster to the herbs, others slower. I’m a slow and low yielder so I eat more, but there are some mummies who need to eat less and that’s okay.

“Like the tagline, I encourage mummies to eat, pump and repeat often so as to stimulate their brain to make more milk. The effect takes several days to show,” said Ms Goy.

New mothers told Channel NewsAsia that homemade bakes sold online fulfil all the requirements of an anxious modern mum.

“I choose to buy from home bakers because their products are freshly baked, have no additives and contain natural and organic ingredients,” said Ms Nurwahidah Nordin.

She said that while her milk boosters of choice are dates and organic oats first, cookies are a good secondary option.

“They’re best for when I’m on the go, at work or snacking while watching Netflix,” she said, adding that she buys them from Instagram sellers like Mamalait and Super Shaq Cookies.

“Results vary,” said Ms Nurwahidah. “Sometimes, I’ll get a boost within a few hours of eating the cookies, but most of the time I only see a difference a day after. My milk supply increases by 50ml to 70ml each time, which I consider just moderate. I know some mums who see more extreme results.”

Admin executive Zam said she worried at first about how lactation cookies, which are usually made with olive oil, not butter, would taste.

“I bought a packet of dark chocolate and raspberry cookies from Mamalait and they were so tasty I ate three at one go,” she said. “Now that I know I like the taste, I’m definitely buying more.”

Like Ms Nurwahidah, Ms Zam noticed a difference in her milk supply after eating the cookies regularly – about 15ml to 20ml each time. She also said she prefers Instagram sellers because they are prompt to respond to queries and can accommodate requests for reduced sugar due to her history with gestational diabetes.

“Of course, the convenience of shopping from home tops it all,” she said.

SINGAPORE: Midway through my eight-hour cleaning shift, I had had enough of removing soaked tissue from sauce plates, fishing out submerged soup spoons and wheeling a cart in circles.

I had been on my feet for the whole time, save for my one-hour break, and I was ready to go home. I had aches in back muscles that I did not even know existed, and my feet were begging me to have a good sit-down.

It was my first day as a cleaner at food court Kopitiam, and I was starting to realise that it was a largely thankless, physically challenging job.

When my shift at the outlet within Sun Plaza shopping mall in Sembawang started at 12pm, I whizzed around skilfully and energetically, weaving in and out of the narrow aisles. I was eager to demonstrate my abilities to my older colleagues. 

But while I gingerly touched used plates with my bare hands, they did it without a second thought. I had thought of wearing gloves, but Bala, my supervisor, told me why he did not. He had tried once, but the slippery gloves caused a cup to fall and break, and that was the last of it.

I had no intention of breaking any cups, so I chose not to.

LIVING THROUGH LUNCHTIME

I was on high alert for green plates that indicated that they were from halal stalls, since I was in charge of the halal cart. It felt manageable, but suddenly there were green plates at every turn. The cart started getting harder to control, stacked with a lunchtime load.

At one point, I left my cart in a corner, picking plates up with my hands, then returning to the cart to deposit them. Clever, or so I thought. Bala told me that I could not leave my cart unattended.

Before I started the job, I had evoked images of the many cleaners I had come across, deftly clearing the plates on the table and moving on to the next table in a jiffy.

What I actually did felt very different, as I clumsily picked up plates and emptied their contents, at times accidentally littering or spilling liquid outside the bin. I struggled to find an angle that would allow me to throw trash on one side, and place condiments plates and cutlery on the other.

As I became more flustered, my colleagues remained quick and nimble. More important – at least to me – they were cheerful and helpful.

On shift with me were two older Singaporean women, my supervisor Bala, and the person in overall charge, who was from China. The older women were excited to show me the ropes and jumped in to help me whenever they could. Still, despite their energetic demeanour, it was clear the work was physically challenging.

One sat down whenever she could, while the other said: “Don’t go so fast now. Relax first, later the crowd will come, then it will be very busy. You will get tired.”

They even involved me in juicy work gossip – I heard of a colleague who got bossy in the absence of the boss and complaints of shoddy work. In my Kopitiam shirt, apron and cap, doing the dirty work with them, I was already welcomed as one of the team.

But more than that, they also taught me, either in halting English or a mix of Mandarin and Malay. Some of the tips seemed initially like simple things – how to stack my plates in order to maximise the area in my cart and when my cart was full enough. Nonetheless, they made life easier for the rookie cleaner.

Most helpful was Bala, a Malaysian who has been working there for about three years. He was tasked with supervising me so he could help me communicate with the cleaner in-charge, who did not speak English. Bala had studied Mandarin in school for a few years and spoke the language fluently. He used to be a cleaner at the mall itself, but found that being a cleaning supervisor at Kopitiam was more lucrative, as he gets bonuses twice a year and yearly increments. 

At the end of the lunch madness, I was left wondering if I would have survived even an hour at a more crowded outlet. The one in Sun Plaza, I knew from times I had dined at other outlets, was not always very busy.

EXPERIENCING THE DISMAL TRAY RETURN CULTURE FIRST-HAND

As the shift continued, it became clear that the job was being made more challenging by the patrons’ inconsistent approach to clearing plates and returning trays.

While some were being returned to the right place, many items were left on the table. I was not surprised. Tray return is one area that Singapore has consistently lagged in. Surveys over the years have shown that people do not clean up after themselves. A number of initiatives have been introduced to encourage patrons to clear up after themselves, from having to place a returnable deposit to a roving tray collection machine.

At Yishun Park Hawker Centre and Timbre+, run by Timbre Group, all meals are served on a tray with a S$1 deposit that is returned when the tray is returned. This has worked well. A spokesman said that at Timbre+, the return rate is 97 per cent and at Yishun Park Hawker Centre, it is about 70 per cent. The national average is 20 per cent.

“Our hawkers are also behind us on this rationale and constantly help us to explain to patrons about this initiatives and encourages them to be on board with us,” a spokesman said.

Despite its effectiveness, Public Hygiene Council chairman Edward D’Silva said it is not a system that should be implemented elsewhere.

“That would mean that everything we do, we need a monetary incentive to behave. But that shouldn’t be the case. Such civic-mindedness should be part of our DNA,” he said, adding that he has observed in countries like Japan that such graciousness is possible.

A report by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources on hawker centres in February this year said that often quoted reasons for not returning trays is the belief that this would deprive the table-cleaners of their jobs and that they would remove the tray and crockery even before patrons can return them to the tray-return station.

The owner of cleaning services firm Kleanway, Tan Cheang Hean, rejected those notions. Mr Tan, who supplies cleaning services to Kopitiam outlets, said that if people cleaned up after themselves, the cleaners could focus on cleaning the tables and sorting the plates.  

And he said that if patrons did more to clean up after themselves, it would result in greater productivity from his staff – he said that manpower is a constant issue, with his many elderly workers finding it hard and tiring to work long hours, and falling ill frequently. As a result, anything which could make the cleaning process run more smoothly would be beneficial.

“I’m flexible with them. Some of them can work four hours, others six, others eight, so I let them choose how many hours they want to work,” he said.   

CLEARING RUBBISH AND DISHWASHING 

Clearing plates and trays was my main job, but like the supervisors, I also doubled up as a garbage collector and dishwasher. 

First, with help from Bala, I filled up a green bin with black trash bags containing rubbish collected over the day. The bin was very heavy. I could only shuffle my feet slowly as I made my way to the lift to get to the refuse disposal area. I was in awe that skinny Bala would usually handle the bin on his own.

There, I swung the bags into the incinerator, using all my strength to get the last of the bags. Tolerating the smell took some effort, but after a while of being there, I was able to ignore it. 

It took another two rounds to clear all the rubbish, including those from the stalls. 

I also dabbled in dishwashing, the task I found to be the easiest, as it was the only one that was not completely manual. All other tasks I had to do required manual effort, but things could be changing with the launch of an Industry Transformation Map for the environmental services sector earlier this month. 

INDUSTRY HEADED TOWARDS LESS RELIANCE ON CLEANERS

The Map, which offers 33 initiatives under four key themes – Technology and Innovation, Jobs and Skills, Productivity, and Internationalisation – aims to improve productivity, promote growth and create better jobs. 

In announcing the launch of the map, the National Environment Agency said that given the manpower constraints in Singapore, it would “not be sustainable to increase manpower in the sector to meet the growing demand for environmental services”. Currently, there are more than 78,000 professionals and 1,700 companies in the cleaning and waste management sectors. 

Environmental Management Association of Singapore president Milton Ng said that automation and job redesign are especially important in the context of a shrinking pool of people willing to work as cleaners.

“Even if you pay more in the future, people may not want to do such menial jobs. The population is more literate, more educated. Why would they want to pick up after people?” he said. 

LEARNING TO BE MORE MINDFUL 

Most of the patrons I came across during my two-day stint were kind enough. They had a smile for me and made an effort to push their plates in my direction. However, there were patrons who made me feel invisible. 

Others left behind a disgusting mess. The work may be menial and mind-numbing, but behind the job are cleaners, many of whom were old enough to be my grandfather and grandmother. They did their work with pride and good humour, but watching them in action made me realise that most customers could do more to make their life a little easier. 

It was real exercise. In just four hours, I had hit 10,000 steps according to my smartphone’s fitness app. 

I did not witness any scolding or rude customers. The most I got to see over my two days was an irritated man frantically trying to attract the attention of a cleaner to clear the table, but this is not always the case. Mr Tan, who employs more than 150 cleaners, said that his employees do get shouted at by impatient patrons. 

Having experienced the backbreaking work that goes into picking up the mess left by patrons, I feel terrible about the times I had left my tray on the table. It is not pretty to have to see and touch the food remains of strangers who generally do not seem to have a regard for the people who clean up. On my part, I have started clearing my own trays. It is the least I could do now that I have seen the sheer effort that goes into keeping our food courts and hawker centres clean.

SINGAPORE: The Elections Department (ELD) will be rolling out electronic registration of voters at polling stations, where election officials will scan voters’ NRICs to register them before they cast their votes – therefore shortening waiting times, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Friday (Dec 29). 

DPM Teo was speaking at the ELD’s 70th anniversary celebration held at the Fullerton Building, where it was first established as the Elections Office in 1947. 

ELD had announced in August that eRegistration of voters at polling stations would be piloted during the Presidential Election. 

In his speech, DPM Teo hailed improvements made to the election process over the years, including the option to vote from overseas, as well as releasing sample counts before official results are made available on counting night. 

Mr Teo noted that in the ELD’s 70 years, it has conducted 69 elections – comprising 21 elections held before Singapore gained independence and 48 which were conducted after the country gained independence in 1965. The 48 include five presidential elections, 12 general elections and 31 by-elections. 

“I commend ELD and our officers for their efforts in administering a fair, reliable and trusted election system,” Mr Teo said, adding that voter turnout at presidential and general elections are above 94 per cent on average, which is “comparable to other countries with compulsory voting such as Australia, Belgium and Luxembourg”. 

“As the custodian of the election process in Singapore, ELD has contributed to 70 years of free and fair elections and upheld the integrity of our democratic process,” Mr Teo said. 

The event on Friday was also attended by Minister Chan Chun Sing, as well as past and present Returning Officers, election officials and officers from various public agencies that worked with the department, ELD said in a media release. 

Mr Teo also highlighted the contributions made by 84-year-old Puteh Bin Mahamood, who has been working at the ELD for 70 years. 

“He remembers the first Legislative Council election in 1948 and meeting personalities such as Mr David Marshall and Mr Lim Yew Hock,” Mr Teo said. “Mr Puteh is here today and exemplifies the dedication and commitment that ELD staff have for their work.”

The Deputy Prime Minister added that ELD has contributed to nation building in Singapore. 

“This would not have been possible without all of you working as one public service,” Mr Teo said. 

To mark the anniversary, the ELD put together an exhibition showcasing major events and process enhancements over the last 70 years. The exhibits and videos are available on its anniversary website, it said.

BEIJING: Beijing may have turned a corner in its battle against the city’s notorious smog, according to Reuters calculations, and environmental consultants say the Chinese government deserves much of the credit for introducing tough anti-pollution measures.

The Chinese capital is set to record its biggest improvement in air quality in at least nine years, with a nearly 20 per cent change for the better this year, based on average concentration levels of hazardous breathable particles known as PM2.5.

The dramatic change, which has occurred across North China, is partly because of favourable weather conditions in the past three months but it also shows that the government’s strong-arm tactics have had an impact.

Reuters’ estimates show that average levels of the pollutants in the capital have fallen by about 35 per cent from 2012 numbers, with nearly half the improvement this year.

“The improvement in air quality is due both to long-term efforts by the government and short-term efforts this winter,” said Anders Hove, a Beijing-based energy consultant. “After 2013, the air in summers got much cleaner, but winter had not shown much improvement. This year is the first winter improvement we’ve seen during this war on pollution.”

Government officials this week signaled they were confident they were starting to get on top of the problem.

“The autumn and winter period is the most challenging part of the air pollution campaign. However, with the intensive efforts all departments have made, we believe the challenge is being successfully overcome,” Liu Youbin, spokesman for the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told reporters on Thursday.

STILL A LONG WAY TO GO

But environmental experts say that while they are optimistic, it may be too early to celebrate.

“The turning point is here but we cannot rule out the possibility we can turn back,” said Ranping Song, developing country climate action manager for the World Resources Institute.  “We need to be cautious about challenges and not relax now that there have been improvements. There are lots of issues to be solved.”

And while China has scored an initial victory over smog, it still has to reverse public opinion outside China on its air quality.

New York-based travel guidebook publisher Fodor’s advised tourists in mid-November in its ‘No List” for 2018 to shun Beijing until the city’s anti-pollution campaign had reduced the “overwhelming smog”. Fodor’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Beijing there is certainly plenty of room for further progress as average air quality is still significantly worse than the World Health Organization’s recommendations.

And the region still sees bouts of heavy smog. On Friday afternoon the US embassy’s website said Beijing’s air was “very unhealthy” and the city issued a pollution alert on Thursday.

EMBASSY MONITORING

Reuters calculations showing the improvement were based on average hourly readings of PM2.5 concentrations at the United States Embassy in Beijing from April 8, 2008 to Dec 28, 2017. The data was compiled from figures from the US embassy’s air monitoring website, as well as data provided by AirVisual, a Beijing company that analyses air quality data.

The data from the embassy, though not fully verified or validated, is the only set available for PM2.5 levels in the capital over that time period. AirVisual provided the hour-by-hour air pollution data from the embassy for recent months.

PM2.5 levels are the most closely monitored because they account for the majority of air pollutants in China and can be harmful to the body when breathed.

Beijing’s air was actually worse in the first nine months of this year than in the same period last year, but PM2.5 concentrations from October to Dec 28 this year were nearly 60 per cent lower than last year, Reuters figures show.

Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Huang Wei said that less than half of the improvement is due to favourable weather – particularly stronger northerly winds and low humidity – with the government’s policies behind most of the change.

The Chinese government launched a winter smog “battleplan” in October for 28 northern cities that called for strict rules on emissions during the winter heating months when pollution typically worsens.

The authorities also sought to make sure that Beijing wasn’t too polluted during October’s Communist Party congress, which is only held once every five years, at which Xi Jinping consolidated his power as the nation’s leader. Some of the more-polluting businesses in and around the capital were told to shut down for a period before and during the gathering.

The plan for the winter months included switching millions of households and some industrial users to natural gas from coal for their heating and some other needs. There were also mandated cuts in steel production by up to 50 per cent in some of the areas surrounding the city.

CONTRAST WITH INDIA

​​​​​​​

Beijing’s improving air quality stands in stark contrast to India’s capital New Delhi, where pollution has steadily become worse over the past few years, and is now well above Beijing’s.

China’s improvement, and deterioration in some other countries, means China is now not among the ten worst countries for pollution in the world anymore, according to at least one measure.

“At the national level, India tops the index rankings, followed by Bangladesh and Thailand,” said Richard Hewston, global head of environment and climate change at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, which measures 198 countries for air quality.

Beijing’s clean-air campaign hasn’t been without its challenges.

The government this year botched the switch from coal to natural gas, leading to recent widespread shortages of gas, soaring liquefied natural gas prices, leaving some residents freezing in their homes and some factories shuttered.

There is also a wider economic cost. Growth in industrial output, especially in northern China, has slowed because of the pollution crackdown, economists say, and the prices of some key commodities, from LNG to copper, have risen.

Some of those who had been benefiting from the poor air quality by selling air filtration products have been taking a hit.

“Overall demand in China is down… Some companies have 100 million yuan (US$15 million) in unsold inventory this year as a result of the improved air quality,” said Liam Bates, CEO of Beijing-based Kaiterra, which makes air filters and air quality monitoring products.

“We haven’t seen huge impact because we’re expanding heavily overseas. While the air in China is getting better, the air in India is much, much worse and we just opened our India office,” he said.

(US$1 = 6.5160 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Muyu Xu and Elias Glenn; Additional reporting by Josephine Mason and Cate Cadell in Beijing, Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Valerie Volcovici in Washington D.C.; Editing by Martin Howell)

SINGAPORE: The Elections Department (ELD) will be rolling out electronic registration of voters at polling stations, where election officials will scan voters’ NRICs to register them before they cast their votes – therefore shortening waiting times, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Friday (Dec 29). 

DPM Teo was speaking at the ELD’s 70th anniversary celebration held at the Fullerton Building, where it was first established as the Elections Office in 1947. 

ELD had announced in August that eRegistration of voters at polling stations would be piloted during the Presidential Election. 

In his speech, DPM Teo hailed improvements made to the election process over the years, including the option to vote from overseas, as well as releasing sample counts before official results are made available on counting night. 

Mr Teo noted that in the ELD’s 70 years, it has conducted 69 elections – comprising 21 elections held before Singapore gained independence and 48 which were conducted after the country gained independence in 1965. The 48 include five presidential elections, 12 general elections and 31 by-elections. 

“I commend ELD and our officers for their efforts in administering a fair, reliable and trusted election system,” Mr Teo said, adding that voter turnout at presidential and general elections are above 94 per cent on average, which is “comparable to other countries with compulsory voting such as Australia, Belgium and Luxembourg”. 

“As the custodian of the election process in Singapore, ELD has contributed to 70 years of free and fair elections and upheld the integrity of our democratic process,” Mr Teo said. 

The event on Friday was also attended by Minister Chan Chun Sing, as well as past and present Returning Officers, election officials and officers from various public agencies that worked with the department, ELD said in a media release. 

Mr Teo also highlighted the contributions made by 84-year-old Puteh Bin Mahamood, who has been working at the ELD for 70 years. 

“He remembers the first Legislative Council election in 1948 and meeting personalities such as Mr David Marshall and Mr Lim Yew Hock,” Mr Teo said. “Mr Puteh is here today and exemplifies the dedication and commitment that ELD staff have for their work.”

The Deputy Prime Minister added that ELD has contributed to nation building in Singapore. 

“This would not have been possible without all of you working as one public service,” Mr Teo said. 

To mark the anniversary, the ELD put together an exhibition showcasing major events and process enhancements over the last 70 years. The exhibits and videos are available on its anniversary website, it said.

SINGAPORE: The Elections Department (ELD) marked its 70th anniversary on Friday (Dec 29) with a celebration at the Fullerton Building, where it was first established as the Elections Office in 1947.

The event was attended by DPM Teo Chee Hean and Minister Chan Chun Sing, as well as past and present Returning Officers, election officials and officers from various public agencies that worked with the department, ELD said in a media release. 

“As the custodian of the election process in Singapore, ELD has contributed to 70 years of free and fair elections and upheld the integrity of our democratic process,” Mr Teo said in his speech.

Hailing the ELD’s work over the years, Mr Teo said it has conducted 69 elections in its 70 years – comprising 21 elections held before Singapore gained independence and 48 which were conducted after the country gained independence in 1965. The 48 include five presidential elections, 12 general elections and 31 by-elections. 

“I commend ELD and our officers for their efforts in administering a fair, reliable and trusted election system,” Mr Teo said, adding that voter turnout at presidential and general elections are above 94 per cent on average, which is “comparable to other countries with compulsory voting such as Australia, Belgium and Luxembourg”. 

In his speech, Mr Teo highlighted the contributions made by 84-year-old Puteh Bin Mahamood, who has been working at the ELD for 70 years. 

“He remembers the first Legislative Council election in 1948 and meeting personalities such as Mr David Marshall and Mr Lim Yew Hock,” Mr Teo said. “Mr Puteh is here today and exemplifies the dedication and commitment that ELD staff have for their work.”

Mr Teo also noted improvements made to the election process over the years, including the option to vote from overseas, as well as releasing sample counts before official results are made available on counting night.

Going forward, Mr Teo said ELD will implement eRegistration at polling stations. Election officials will scan voters’ NRICs to register them to shorten waiting times before they cast their votes.

The Deputy Prime Minister added that ELD has contributed to nation building in Singapore. 

“This would not have been possible without all of you working as one public service,” Mr Teo said. 

The mark the anniversary, the ELD put together an exhibition showcasing major events and process enhancements over the last 70 years. The exhibits and videos are available on its anniversary website, it said.