SINGAPORE: The TODAY Enable Fund has raised S$265,000 for people with disabilities, organisers announced, following a charity dinner and auction at Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel on Tuesday evening (Feb 28). 

Launched last December by local newspaper TODAY and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, the fund is meant empower people with physical disabilities by supporting their aspirations and funding transition-to-work programmes and by encouraging community integration efforts. 

The goal is to raise at least S$500,000 by next January. Tuesday’s event saw artwork by six artists with specials needs being auctioned off, along with personal items of ESM Goh.

At the dinner, Mr Goh emphasised the importance of “compassionate meritocracy”, which champions educating and training a person to maximise his potential abilities. 

“When we see disabled people, most of us see only their disabilities. We feel compassion for them, and that’s it,” Mr Goh said. “But really, we should look beyond their disabilities and see the latent abilities in them, and help them to develop their talent to the fullest. We should give them a shot at life, like any other person.”

ESM Goh with performers from Methodist Girls’ School (Primary) at the TODAY Enable Fund Lunar New Year Charity Dinner on Tuesday (Feb 28). (Photo: MCI)

“The idea of compassionate meritocracy is to try and bring as many people as possible to the same starting line to narrow the disadvantage in terms of resources,” he added. “And this is very important for those with disabilities and for those who acquire disabilities somewhere along their lives.” 

He also said the fund is not meant to “simply help people with disabilities out of a tight situation, or with their daily needs”. 

“Those are areas where Government and other charitable organisations are doing a lot of work on,” Mr Goh said. “What the fund focuses on is giving more resources to people with disabilities, so that they too have a chance to use their abilities and talents to climb their own mountain.”

The TODAY Enable Fund will begin disbursing funds to beneficiaries in April. 

SINGAPORE — Three months after being set up, the TODAY Enable Fund has raised S$265,000, reaching more than half of its target sum of S$500,000 for its first year. And the charity dinner and auction held on Tuesday night (Feb 28) at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy in Marine Parade gave the fund its biggest boost to date, raising S$200,000, inclusive of an anonymous donation.

Artwork done by six artists with special needs, as well as personal items of fund patron Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong were auctioned off on Tuesday.

The auction raised close to S$64,000, and a commemorative book on Mr Goh published by the National Trades Union Congress received the highest bid of S$32,000.

Mr Goh announced that the charity fund, started last December, would support programmes for persons with disabilities by April.

He said that he was heartened by the generous contributions of the corporate and individual donors who snapped up all 30 tables for the dinner to the tune of S$125,000.

Among them were Roxy Foundation, Tanoto Foundation and Wong Partnership, which bought full tables at S$10,000 per table, while individuals such as Mr Loo Choon Yong donated S$10,000, and Mr Kwee Liong Tek and General Ng Jui Ping donated S$5,000 each.

Mr Bey Soo Khiang, chairman of Tanoto Foundation Board of Governance, said that more could be done to get them to see and treat the special-needs community as “equals”.

“Part of the problem is that the (mainstream society) can’t appreciate what the disadvantaged or disabled person faces … younger ones are opening up and being more caring, but being caring is just not good enough. (It’s about) appreciating and treating the person with disability as normal,” he said.

In his speech, Mr Goh said that, while meritocracy has been the bedrock of Singapore, society needs to move towards the direction of “compassionate meritocracy”.

Beyond educating and training a person with disability to maximise his abilities, there could be more effort to “level the playing field”, by investing resources in those who lack financial resources and family support.

“Those who have succeeded in climbing the ladder of meritocracy should also have the compassion to reach back down the ladder and give a helping hand to those who are struggling behind,” Mr Goh said.

Although the Government has programmes to help the underprivileged in society, the community should chip in as well, he added.

And this is where TODAY Enable Fund comes in. The fund, administered by SG Enable — an agency that helps the special-needs community — is a way of putting this concept into action, he said. It is not simply to help people with disabilities out of a tight situation or with their daily needs, but to provide them with resources so that they have a chance to use their talents to achieve success.

The fund will support the aspirations of people with disabilities that are beyond their families’ financial means, and fund their transition to work programmes, such as mentorship or training initiatives to help them lead more independent lives. It will also be used to encourage community integration efforts to promote greater inclusion.

Mr Goh appealed to readers of TODAY to contribute as each small sum would make a difference.

Last night’s programme included a showcase by Ms Stephanie Ow, 21, who showed off her skills on the er hu, a testament that being blind is no barrier to her mastering the difficult two-stringed Chinese instrument.

Miss Yap Foon Lyn, vice-principal of Methodist Girls’ School (Primary), said that the school has started a stall in the canteen selling smoothies, manned by students with special needs. The students also performed in a handbell ensemble performance on Tuesday night.

Support the TODAY Enable Fund for the special needs community. Find out more via www.todayonline.com/enable.

If you know of more stories of people with disabilities, email us at news@newstoday.com.sg

SINGAPORE: The opposition Workers’ Party (WP) on Tue (Feb 28) questioned the timing and impact of the 30 per cent water price hike announced as part of Budget 2017 last week.

Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leon Perera suggested that recent Budgets from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) Government trended towards “racking up a surplus in the early part of the Parliamentary term and then incurring deficit spending towards the end of the term close to the General Election (GE)”.

Mr Perera said the timing of various price hikes seemed “more synchronised to the political cycle than to the economic cycle”.

“Is this the right time to raise the electricity tariff? The gas price? Parking fees? Diesel usage costs? And last but not least, to raise the water price?” he asked.

“Hitting the economy with these multiple price hikes within the space of a few months may make good political sense, because people have three years to forget them before the next General Election.

“But do they make good economic sense?” he said.

“Why introduce all these price hikes now at a time of economic fragility, when they could tip some SMEs at the margins over the edge, when they increase the hardships faced by Singaporeans beset by job market insecurities? Why not introduce some of them later when there is an upswing in external demand?”

HOW DOES THE GOVT PRICE WATER?

Aljunied GRC MP Pritam Singh called for “a deeper explanation from the Government about how it prices water”. “Can the Government also share how much it costs each desalination and NEWater plant to produce water today, especially since some of these plants operate on a private-public partnership basis? How do they compare with plants run directly by the PUB?” he enquired.

He then asked if the falling water levels in Malaysia’s Linggiu Reservoir had an impact on the water price revision, “especially since the Government’s position as late as 2013 confirmed no need to raise water prices”.

Mr Singh said he wondered if the reservoir’s water levels dipping to zero per cent would result in another rise in water prices. “That would also prompt a corollary question as to whether the latest water price revision was set with a view to account for the complete failure of the Linggiu Reservoir,” he added.

“KNOCK-ON EFFECTS ON COST OF LIVING”

NCMPs Dennis Tan and Daniel Goh both expressed fears over the water price hike having an impact on cost of living.

Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Tan said: “The companies and industries affected most would be those in F&B. How can the Government ensure the rise in water tariffs will not cause prices to increase in hawker centres, coffeeshops and other products as well?”

Mr Tan added that he was concerned by the volume-based duty of S$0.10 per litre on diesel.

“I can understand the pollution reasons but I question if it’s wise to time it now when the present economic situation is not healthy,” he said. “Can the Government assure the people that transport costs of taxis and buses etc. will not increase?”

“Although the Government has announced GST vouchers to give some rebate to some families, most Singaporeans, industries and companies will not fulfil the criteria and not receive anything, or else just a token rebate,” he argued.

Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Goh described the water price hike as “ominous” as he urged the Government to strengthen safety nets for middle-income households in particular.

“The 30 per cent hike in water price and the carbon tax when implemented will have knock-on effects on the costs of living, as all areas of everyday life are affected by the use of water and electricity,” he said.

“Middle-income households do not have the benefit of the enhanced financial transfers to low-income households to soften the impact of the water price increase… (They) will feel the head-on impact of the increase in costs of living most strongly.”

High-income earners will also be subsidised many times more than middle-income workers when it comes to the Personal Income Tax Rebate of 20 per cent, capped at S$500, said Assoc Prof Goh.

Earlier, Mr Perera said Budget 2017 had “not made a decisive shift towards building local enterprises as an engine of value creation alongside MNCs and GLCs” and this was a “huge missed opportunity” he said. “We also … can and should do more to enable our students to understand how entrepreneurship is both a viable and a socially meaningful calling. Right now I fear that most aspiring students dream of becoming civil servants or working in an MNC.”

He also said Budget 2017 initiatives did not do enough to foster risk-taking. “It is no coincidence that the countries with the most innovative companies and disruptors are also the countries that have a larger role for social safety nets and risk pooling,” he said. “We must create enough security and confidence for Singaporeans to become the disruptors and not the disrupted.”

“While we do recognise the positive moves in Budget 2017, we question the timing of some of the measures that will raise costs as well as their necessity and justification,” Mr Perera concluded. “We question whether more can be done to support a beleaguered economy.”

“And above all we question the missed opportunities to make decisive, bold moves in local enterprise development, risk-pooling and education to pivot Singapore towards truly finding its place in the sun in the 21st century.”

SINGAPORE — The much-anticipated pilot of allowing Mastercard-issued cards to be used to pay for train and bus fares, bypassing any top-up arrangements, will start on March 20, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday (Feb 28).

Commuters holding Singapore-issued credit or debit cards and who have not been pre-registered by their banks may register their interest from the date to take part in the pilot, through TransitLink’s Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) portal (www.transitlink.com.sg/introABT).

Once they are accepted into the pilot, they would be able to pay for their rides on public transport, and the fares would be charged to their cards. Through the portal or the TransitLink Mobile Services app, they will also be able to track their journey and view their fare payment history.

The LTA first announced plans for the pilot a year ago and this partnership with Mastercard aims to reach 100,000 users.

Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, chief executive of LTA, said that Singapore is one of the first few cities in the world to test this fare payment system for public transport.

SINGAPORE: Public transport operator SMRT Trains was fined a record S$400,000 on Tuesday (Feb 28) for safety lapses that resulted in the deaths of two employees on Mar 22 last year.

Prosecutors said SMRT’s “systemic failure” to enforce compliance with safety procedures is “worrying”, and that “widespread” disregard for safety procedures can be traced as far back as 2002. 

SMRT pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) for failing to take measures necessary to ensure the safety and health of its employees at work. 

Trainees Nasrulhudin Majumudin, 26, and Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, were hit and killed by an oncoming train between Tampines and Pasir Ris MRT stations. They were on the train tracks between the two stations when they were hit.

They had been part of a 15-man team, led by assistant engineer Lim Say Heng, sent to investigate a possible signalling fault. SMRT admitted after the accident that maintenance staff had not followed safety procedures.

Instead of taking a designated train to the worksite, as per safety procedures, Lim led the team onto the train tracks – during traffic hours and without warning incoming trains – and proceeded on foot to the site via a walkway running parallel to the tracks. 

Lim had also failed to obtain the necessary approvals to impose what is known as a “0/0 code” to prevent trains from freely entering the tracks on which the team was working.

A series of miscommunications between Lim, an officer at Pasir Ris MRT station, and an officer at the Operations Control Centre (OCC) at SMRT’s headquarters at North Bridge Road meant the code was never imposed on Mar 22. 

The only safety measure attempted was a handwritten note put up at Tampines MRT station to warn train drivers to contact the OCC if a “0/0 code” was imposed.

But since it was not, and the note did not indicate there were workmen on the track ahead, the driver of the next train proceeded as per normal. 

By the time he spotted Mr Nasrulhudin and Mr Asyraf on the tracks, it was too late. Though he applied the emergency brakes, the train could not stop in time. Mr Nasrulhudin and Mr Asyraf were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. They died from multiple injuries, prosecutors said on Tuesday. 

(Source: SMRT)

The other men in the group had either not left the walkway or managed to jump off the track, back onto the walkway to safety. 

SMRT’S WORST FATAL RAIL INCIDENT TO DATE: PROSECUTION

Deputy Public Prosecutor Anandan Bala urged the court to fine SMRT S$400,000. “SMRT’s worst fatal rail incident to date … took place against the backdrop of an inexcusable systemic failure to ensure (track work) is carried out in strict compliance with (safety procedures),” DPP Anandan said.

He singled out the OCC, which is in charge of approving and supervising track work, for “giving the green light for employees (to work) in clear contravention of (safety procedures)”.

The OCC – headed by director of control operations Teo Wee Kiat – knew employees had been breaching safety regulations but “did not take any steps to (remedy this),” DPP Anandan said.

He pointed out that in 2015 alone, employees accessed train tracks during traffic hours at least 200 times. “The majority of these were not conducted in compliance with (safety procedures),” the DPP said.

Teo has been charged with one count under the WSHA. His case is still before the courts.

SMRT REVIEWED, REVAMPED SAFETY PROCEDURES: DEFENCE

Senior Counsel Andre Maniam, representing SMRT, urged the court not to impose a fine higher than S$250,000.

Mr Maniam said SMRT has “reviewed and revamped” its safety procedures. “Strict compliance is required (and is) reinforced by better record-keeping and (a) review of the circumstances of each request for track access,” he said.

And though SMRT regrets the deaths of two employees, Mr Maniam stressed that “it is important not to overplay the situation”, reminding the court that the operator has not been charged with causing the men’s deaths.

Lim, who led the 15-man team, bears that weight. He has been charged with negligence causing death. His case is still before the courts.

SAFETY BREACHES SERIOUS, AGGRAVATED: JUDGE

District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said a culture of widespread non-compliance with safety procedures, as well as SMRT’s failure to enforce compliance, meant the procedures were “not worth the paper these were printed on”.

Calling SMRT’s safety failures “fundamental and serious”, Judge Chay added it was “highly disconcerting and aggravating that the failures were systemic and had occurred on many levels.

“Not only were the (safety procedures) not followed, a completely different and clearly unsafe set of practices had been adopted for the longest time by SMRT employees. The actual practices appeared to have evolved over time in a haphazard fashion to suit the convenience of the employees … who were very much left to adopt whatever practice they deemed convenient,” Judge Chay said.

He ordered SMRT to pay a fine of S$400,000 by next Monday. Under the WSHA, SMRT could have been fined up to S$500,000. 

In a statement on Tuesday, managing director of SMRT Trains, Lee Ling Wee, said the company accepts full responsibility for its safety lapses and respects the court’s decision. 

“We have comprehensively reviewed our safety protocols and procedures, and are determined to never again have a repeat of the Mar 22, 2016 tragedy,” he said. 

“SMRT is committed to a safe work environment for our staff and a safe transport network for our commuters. All of our staff are empowered – regardless of rank – to call a time-out if they feel safety is compromised. Safety continues to be accorded the highest attention and priority in the company.” 

Lapses in safety procedure that took place on the day of the accident. (Source: Attorney-General’s Chambers)