In new report on economic rankings, the Republic falls in leaderboards

For six years running, Singapore was ranked the second-most competitive economy in the world by the World Economic Forum (WEF), right behind Switzerland.

But the Republic has fallen in a new report released today that measures how inclusive and equal countries’ economic performance is.

Switzerland fell to third place behind Norway and Luxembourg among 30 advanced economies.

While the traditional rankings prized performance in categories that Singapore gets top marks in – such as higher education and training – the new index has indicators that measure how well economic performance translates into social inclusion, such as asset building and entrepreneurship, employment and labour compensation, and fiscal transfers.

The new yardsticks come a day before world leaders converge in Davos for the annual meeting, and they are part of the WEF’s call to governments to shift economic policy priorities to respond more effectively to the insecurity and inequality that accompany technological change and globalisation.

This means countries that prioritise widespread enjoyment of the fruits of economic growth rank higher than under the old GDP-prioritising model.

Rounding out the top five are Iceland and Denmark, which were ranked 27th and 12th respectively in the old model.

Singapore did not get an overall rank because of missing data, said the WEF, although average scores put it around eighth.

It topped two of the 15 categories judged: health services and infrastructure, and how easy it is for businesses to raise capital.

But it scored near the bottom in access to education and skills, how concentrated wealth is and social welfare.

Singapore scored poorly relative to other advanced economies in the average number of years of schooling that Singaporeans get.

Its score was equally dismal in how many are enrolled in technical and vocational schools.

The issues are interrelated, said National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Paulin Straughan, who noted that aspirations and test scores have risen faster than the number of university places here.

Historical reasons have also led to a large gap in salary between white- and blue-collar jobs that push people away from becoming plumbers and carpenters, she added.

“Our society has developed a hierarchy of jobs and of pay, where we underpay the skills-oriented kind of vocation and overpay the others,” she said.

Singapore also lagged behind in a category that measures how far a country is from becoming a rentier society, through yardsticks such as the Gini coefficient, competitiveness of local markets and whether there is a banking monopoly.

In this area, Singapore ranked 22 out of the 30 advanced economies. But a low ranking here is not necessarily trouble, as what matters is that SMEs can survive and wage earners can make a decent living, said fellow NUS sociologist Tan Ern Ser.

He said: “There is a need to ensure social justice, without harming the incentive for work and doing business.”

The WEF also proposed a set of key performance indicators it said gives “a more complete picture of national economic performance” than from GDP alone, particularly if the ultimate goal of development is sustained and well-rounded advancement of living standards.

In this Inclusive Development Index, a country’s GDP per capita is just one of 12 indicators. Countries that scored better on this index include Cambodia, the Czech Republic and Vietnam. Those that fared badly include the United States and Japan, as well as Brazil, Ireland and Mexico.

yanliang@sph.com.sg

This article by The Straits Times was published in The New Paper, a free newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

A driver was arrested in Woodlands on Saturday for driving against traffic – the latest in a string of similar cases that have taken place in the past month, reported The Straits Times.

Police said they were alerted to an incident at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 1 and Woodlands Avenue 2 at 7.06am on Saturday.

It reportedly started with a driver falling asleep at the wheel.

A witness, Mr Ong, told Lianhe Wanbao that a BMW was parked at a traffic junction on Woodlands Avenue 2. Though the light changed several times and other cars sounded their horns, the BMW did not move.

He told Wanbao he saw that the driver’s eyes were closed, and he tapped on the window to try to wake him up. The driver did not respond, and Mr Ong then called the police.

When the police arrived, one of the officers knocked loudly on the car window, finally rousing the driver.

Startled, the driver stepped on the accelerator and drove onto the wrong side of the road.

Mr Ong said that a police officer tried to stop the car by blocking it and was nearly hit. The car finally stopped and police said a 29-year-old man was arrested for suspected drink driving.

“I admire her (the police officer’s) courage, but I want to tell her to put her own safety first, as her family will be worried,” said Mr Ong.

The Traffic Police received reports of seven cases of driving against traffic between Dec 28 and Jan 7.

This article was first published on Jan 16, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

Appropriate Adult scheme seeks to address needs of young suspects

In 1972, three teenagers were accused of the grisly murder of 26-year-old Maxwell Confait in his London home.

They were interrogated by the police without the presence of their parents and confessed to the crime.

One of them, aged 18, had the mental age of an eight-year-old.

The 15-year-old was assessed to be “highly suggestible”, and the third was 14.

In court, forensic evidence showed that the teenagers could not have killed the man. The trio also claimed they were assaulted by police officers during questioning.

The case sparked an official inquiry into police procedures and eventually, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 was passed in Britain.

This means that by law, an Appropriate Adult (AA) – a parent, guardian or professional – is required to be present during any police interview with suspects aged from 10 to 16, and with adults who are mentally vulnerable.

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs recently announced that the Republic will introduce its own programme for those under 16 in phases from April.

Singapore’s concept builds on an existing AA scheme for offenders with mental disabilities, which was rolled out in 2015. (See report, below.)

In an interview with The New Paper, Mr Chris Bath, chief executive of UK-based charity National Appropriate Adult Network (Naan), said an AA’s role during the police interview involves addressing the needs of the child.

The AA is responsible for the well-being of a young suspect during the experience and for informing them of their legal rights.

Mr Bath added that the presence of an AA during the interview process would also help ensure a fair judicial outcome.

He said: “The AA can be considered the eyes, ears and voice of the Court who would need the evidence in a police interview to be collected in a reliable way.

“The AA scheme is a reasonable adjustment, considering the vulnerability of the child during the process. It does not mean the young are not held responsible for their actions.”

Other countries have similar systems.

In New Zealand, a young suspect is allowed to make a police statement in the presence of a “nominated adult”, who could be a parent, adult family member, or any other adult selected by the child.

The police must also go to “strenuous effort” to ensure a suitable person nominated by the young person is present.

Under Swedish legislation, it is possible in certain circumstances for the legal guardian to be present at interrogations held with the child, and social services should also be present.

In a report published in February 2015, the Ombudsman for children in Sweden also recommended that all children must be provided with legal counsel during interrogation.

In Singapore, only independent and trained volunteers are allowed to perform the AA role.

In the UK, police are required to first seek a parent to perform the AA role. If a parent or social worker are both not available, they can ask anyone else who is over 18.

This means trained AAs in the UK, who are required to go through 20 hours of training and two shadowing visits to police custody, support around one-third of arrested children, said Naan on its website.

There is academic evidence to suggest that parents are not notably effective as AAs, said Mr Bath.

A recent literature review by Naan outlines some reasons – a misunderstanding of the AA role, the threat of physical violence towards their child and aggression towards police.

But Mr Bath thinks there are advantages to having someone who knows the child well during the interrogation. The adult would be able to better understand how the child expresses distress.

“Even the best-trained volunteer could be treated as an adult stranger and the child could easily believe that the AA is connected to the police,” he said.

Mr Bath thinks a hybrid system, where both trained AAs and someone who is familiar to the child are involved during the interview process, would be ideal.

Mr Bath stressed the importance of safeguarding the interview process involving young suspects.

He said: “In many situations, a child in police custody is not just a criminal suspect, she is almost always a victim as well.”

Minds chief: AA makes sure subject understands police

Singapore’s current Appropriate Adult (AA) scheme involves a trained volunteer who accompanies a person with intellectual or mental disabilities during police interviews.

Last year, there were 228 AA activations, said the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds).

Minds chief executive officer Keh Eng Song said the AA’s role is to act as a bridge of communication during the police interview.

“This means the police subject does not misunderstand the questions asked or that he is not misunderstood by the investigating officer. This will ensure statements recorded are reliable,” he said.

There are more than 240 volunteers under the AA scheme.

All volunteers will be required to attend a training session that covers topics such as basic police procedures and communicating with people with special needs.

Ms Tay Ai Jie, 24, volunteer management executive for the AA programme has been activated as an AA twice since last year and listed some challenges volunteers face during the interview process.

She said some subjects are unwilling to open up, perhaps due to the fear of being interviewed by an authoritative figure.

She said some suspects might not be able to grasp certain terminologies and concepts, and the AA would then rely on drawings.

Ms Tay added: “The AA’s presence would provide some comfort as he is someone who is not there to ‘prosecute’ them.

“It is also important for the AA to establish a connection with the subjects, to make sure they know there is nothing to be afraid of, and that the AA is there to help.

“But ultimately, the most important thing is to be patient with people with special needs.”

linheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 16, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

Singapore Red Cross working with more corporate groups for indirect volunteering

Corporate donations to the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) fell 35 per cent last year.

However, during the same period, the organisation saw a 50 per cent jump in corporate volunteers.

SRC are working with more corporate groups to channel their time and skills towards indirect volunteering on a long-term basis.

One of them is the National Australia Bank (NAB).

Even as the bank has grown its volunteer corps – it now has 130 staff who actively volunteer with the SRC – it has not cut back on its donations to the organisation.

Staff volunteer their time at the Red Cross Home for the Disabled (RCHD).

Miss Aida Mekonnen, corporate affairs manager of NAB, said that one of the company’s core values is “respect for people”.

She told The New Paper: “I was initially afraid that some of the staff would be reluctant to volunteer because they were worried they might be emotional.

“We did bed-to-bed storytelling with puppets, which the residents enjoyed. At the end of it, the staff realised they don’t have to fear the experience.”

Volunteers celebrated Christmas with the residents by carolling, assisting in the counting of donations for SRC’s Flag Day and organising an internal fund-raising bake sale which collected about $1,500 for the organisation.

Employees are given two days of volunteer leave a year, and there is a volunteer event every quarter.

Staff at The Body Shop started volunteering with RCHD in 2014.

A group of 17 did art therapy sessions for 20 selected residents, assisting them in creating artwork with a flora and fauna theme.

Last November, 80 staff decorated the dormitories at RCHD, painted the nails of the residents and conducted mini-facials for the caregivers working at the home.

Miss Aditi Madhok-Naarden, human resource director of The Body Shop, told TNP: “While it was meaningful to interact with residents, it felt good to treat someone who has spent their entire day taking care of someone else.

“These nurses and caregivers live on-site because they have to provide full-time care for the residents. It’s an opportunity for us to thank these dedicated staff for their work.”

She added that the company believes that “business can be a force for good”. Employees are given three days of volunteer leave a year, in line with its volunteer culture.

The company volunteers with SRC once a year, sends the RCHD personalised beauty care bags of The Body Shop products for Christmas and organises an internal annual charity sale.

Miss Angeline Yong, head of membership and volunteer development at SRC, said that companies can define their area of contribution.

She told TNP: “There’s diversity in the way they can volunteer, as companies can contribute in their own field.

“We see more corporate volunteers offering skill sets to augment the needs of SRC, such as providing consultancy, photography, video editing and copywriting services.

“The SRC also advocates regular befriending, to encourage the building of a relationship among volunteers and beneficiaries.”

bxliew@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 16, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

As economy slows, Charity Council chief Gerard Ee urges group to make causes clear

If 2016 was a year when charities started feeling the effects of a global economic slowdown, then they had better brace themselves for an even more pronounced impact over the next 12 months, said Charity Council chairman Gerard Ee.

Singapore’s economic growth forecast for this year has been projected at between 1 and 3 per cent, with the world in the throes of rising political risks and tensions in international relations.

With more charities eyeing a slice of the pie, this spells tough times ahead.

Mr Ee, a social service veteran, told The New Paper: “It will be very challenging. All the more so, we charities will have to do our part and really be able to clearly articulate our causes.

“People now only support causes, not organisations.

“If you can’t articulate what is it you’re doing, what outcomes you’re trying to achieve, it will be so much harder to get support. Unfortunately, this is something we are not terribly good at.”

While official figures on donations received last year are not out yet, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC), which committed $50,000 to support disaster response efforts after last year’s Aceh earthquake, recorded a 35 per cent dip in corporate monetary donations.

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Mercy Relief also encountered the same trend, which executive director Zhang Tingjun attributed to the challenging economic environment.

The drop in corporate giving comes on the heels of a 17-year peak of $1.4 billion in tax-deductible donations in 2015 – a 24.6 per cent increase from 2014.

But Mr Ee said that significant jump was a one-off.

He explained: “It will not be appropriate for charities to compare the donations they receive with 2015, which saw extra tax deductions and the euphoria of SG50. Donations may be getting scarcer as companies struggle to even survive.”

Some charities are already adopting a more creative approach to attracting donations.

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, which runs free meal centres and free clinics, has invested in 10 claw machines for about $10,000. The cost was fully sponsored by an anonymous donor.

Each try on the machines, which will be placed at AMK Hub and Northpoint for one to three months, costs $2.

SRC, meanwhile, is working with more corporate groups to channel their time and skills on a long-term basis. The charity saw a 50 per cent increase in corporate volunteers last year.

Mercy Relief’s Ms Zhang said the NGO has seen a surge in skill-based volunteering.

They have tapped on volunteers like the legal team at Flint & Battery, the creative and communications team at Edelman and the IT support offered by CIO Academy Asia’s give-back pillar CIO Care.

This has allowed the NGO to focus on aid relief and disaster management.

Corporates like Vanguard Interiors also supported the NGO by donating new office furniture for its new office.

Such non-monetary giving is not necessarily a lesser form of charity, Mr Ee pointed out.

“Every little bit counts. I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game,” he said.

tnp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 16, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.