Singapore said goodbye to many things in 2016. From people, to places, to mindsets, the past 12 months gave us plenty to reflect upon. Jose Hong gives a sampling of the events that marked milestones this year.

Tributes flowed in for former president S R Nathan, who died on Aug 22. Many mourners, from political leaders to members of the public, spoke of his humility and dedication to society.

He served as president from 1999 to 2011, and had carved a distinguished career in the civil service lasting about 40 years.

Throughout, Mr Nathan built bridges and was concerned for all in society, values that remain his legacy with many remembering him as the “People’s President”.

He spearheaded the President’s Challenge, which raised over $160 million for the past 15 years to help the less fortunate.

As someone who touched many lives in his 92 years, his departure has left a large hole.

“He was integral in our lives and so his absence is immense,” said his daughter, Ms Juthika Ramanathan. She said the family’s adjustments “have been made easier by the tremendous support and love shown by our relatives, many friends and even strangers”.

Ms Juthika, 57, said they have always marked the end of the year as a quiet family affair.

“It will be the same this year but instead of his presence, we will carry his memory into the new year.”

When asked what she thought Mr Nathan would have wanted Singaporeans to do in 2017, she responded: “For the country and the people he loved, he would want us to live united as a society undivided by race, religion or language… and to show kindness and empathy to all whom we come across.”

josehong@sph.com.sg

Goodbye 2016

This article was first published on Dec 31, 2016.
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The principal officials of the City Council are also the employees of the companies that are employed to manage the premises.

Observers said it was common practice for management agents to double the cap on this type of work, and he added that strong safeguards must be in place to prevent conflicts of interest.

They reported Thursday that the general manager and the secretary general of the Ang Mo Kio town council, Mr Wong, has been removed from office and is being investigated by the Corrupt Practices Bureau (CPIB)), the Straits Times reported Thursday.

The discussion is similar to the governance and financial blunders of the Albanian-post-town council (AHTC) that the Workers’ Party runs.

Mr Wong is an employee of CPG Facilities Management, a management agency for the City Council, which received a complaint in September about “how he handled contracts and transactions in the City Council”. Mr Ang Hin Kee, chairman of Ang Mo Kio Town Council, said on Thursday that Mr Wong was dismissed last month.

Yesterday, the anti-corruption regulator confirmed that it had received a report and was investigating the matter. A spokesman for the Central People’s Government said Mr Wong was “suspended from office and awaiting investigation”.

National University of Singapore corporate governance expert, said yesterday, this case seems to be an isolated, so far, does not seem to indicate systemic failure.

“AHTC has a wider range of issues, and so far this involves individuals. But he noted that the current case was a criminal investigation while the Criminal Investigation Bureau was not involved in the investigation of AHTC.

In the case of AHTC, the auditors found that the City Council was exposed to a serious conflict of interest because its management agency owners and shareholders also held key positions in the City Council.

In this regard, the Singapore Management University affiliated law professor Eugene Tank yesterday pointed out that Mr. Wang is a CPG staff, and there is no ownership in the company’s shares. If he is an owner, he will be directly through the decision on the tender to obtain the benefits, for example, Professor Chen said.

Mr MAK said that in order to completely eliminate the conflict of interest, the City Council should not appoint an employee of the management agent to be an officer.

“The best protection is to separate the two sides and have a full arm length relationship,” he said. But he added that this could increase costs.

Of the 16 municipal councils, 14 use management agents. The two men who do not do so are Bishan-Toa Toa Payoh City Council and AHTC.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Mr. Baey Yam Keng, Mr. Lim Biow Chuan and Mr. Ang, the four PAPs who run the town councils, say that staff are constantly reminded to announce any potential conflict in order to prevent possible problems with double caps. Weiden.

Mr. Lin said that the tender and the tender must also be a group of people rather than a person to assess.

In the end, Professor Tan said, “No system is foolproof, and (inherent) human weaknesses in the system when people participate.”

“It is important to ensure that the penalties for dishonesty are serious,” Mr Lam said. He added: “Clearly there is no cover; no matter the extent of the mistakes, we will take action.

The Ministry of National Development said, “to determine the appropriate action to be taken after the determination of the facts”.

dansonc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 31, 2016.
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As imposing as buildings can be, it is sometimes easy to forget that they are not permanent.

Park Mall, the iconic furniture centre, closed in September and will make way for a commercial development. Naturally, some people were sad at the loss of the 45-year-oldmall, but the reaction was even stronger following news that the remaining residents of Rochor Centre were moving out.

Rochor Centre, with its 567 Housing Board flats in four blocks, as well as 187 shops and eating houses, will have to make way for the southern stretch of the North-South Expressway (NSE), which is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

The multicoloured hues, for which the blocks are famous, appeared only in 1994, almost 20 years after the flats were built.Fortunately for the sense of community, most of the households have since moved to Kallang Trivista.

Another building, Funan DigitaLife Mall, was closed on June 30 and has since been demolished. Owner CapitaLand Mall Trust is looking forward to the replacement, simply called Funan, which will be opened in 2019. Perhaps as a way of creating new memories early, CapitaLand Mall Trust is engaging the public with initiatives like an Instagram contest ending today.

Little can stand in the way of progress on this island starved of space, and nobody can predict which buildings will be celebrated and mourned.

But new buildings, and the tearing down of the old, drive interest in more than just the brick and mortar. Each new building promises to house fresh memories. It is up to us to decide what shape those should take.

New buildings, and the tearing down of the old, drive interest in more than just the brick and mortar. Each new building promises to house fresh memories. It is up to us to decide what shape those should take.

This article was first published on Dec 31, 2016.
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Now that Singapore has crowned its fourth mobile operator, what’s next? Next year looks to be one for consumers to hold off on signing two-year telco contracts for new-fangled handsets – that is, until new kid on the block TPG Telecom launches its mobile service plans.

TPG, which hails from Australia, won the rights to operate a chunk of mobile airwaves in Singapore with its $105 million bid in an airwave auction on Dec 14.

Its rights, which will begin in April, come with obligations to launch nationwide mobile services by September 2018.

So far, TPG has been holding its launch plans close to its chest.

The only information that has gone public is it hopes to grab 5 per cent to 6 per cent share of the mobile user base in Singapore, and that it will spend $200 million to $300 million to build the 4G network here.

Many market observers and analysts note the challenges TPG will face entering Singapore: A mature market with limited growth potential and demanding customers.

However, they are also hopeful that TPG will be a disruptive force.

The way TPG chips away at the market share of its established rivals – Singtel, StarHub and M1 – may not unfold just yet.

If TPG executive chairman David Teoh’s reputation as a go-getter is anything to go by, there may be more to the imminent shake-up in Singapore’s mobile sector than just a price war.

After all, the reclusive Malaysia-born Australian is known as a self-made billionaire who built his business empire from scratch, then later, via well-calculated company acquisitions.

From a small computer shop called Total Peripherals Group in 1986, TPG has now catapulted to the league of telecommunications infrastructure giants in Australia.

It is second to Telstra in Australia’s fixed-line broadband market, with 1.87 million subscribers, after a A$1.5 billion (S$1.57 billion) takeover of Internet service provider (ISP) iiNet in August last year.

This strategic buyout was preceded by many other similar buyouts, such as its acquisition of a controlling stake in ISP Chariot Internet in 2007 and its reverse takeover of another ISP, SP Telemedia in 2008. In 2009, TPG also took over Brisbane-based Pipe Networks for A$373 million to gain access to fibre-optic networks around the country.

A similar strategy may unfold in Singapore, with local fibre broadband operator MyRepublic looking ripe for the picking.

A report this month by Britain-based research firm BMI Research stated that MyRepublic’s financial losses were in the region of $9.36 million last year.

In contrast, TPG is profitable in Australia, with a pre-tax operating cash flow of A$759 million in its financial year ended July 31, an increase of 54 per cent from the year before. The firm’s market capitalisation stands at A$6.02 billion, reported Bloomberg. And its founder Mr Teoh is ranked ninth on Forbes’ 50 Richest list in Australia.

There is a chance that TPG would buy MyRepublic to offer sweeter fixed and mobile service bundling in Singapore as it works on disrupting Singtel, StarHub and M1’s stranglehold on the local market.

As Mr Clement Teo, principal analyst at market research firm Ovum, noted: “The way to sustain a (telco) business in Singapore is via fixed and mobile service bundling.”

itham@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 31, 2016.
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Retiree Vincent Chan was just a 12-year-old boy when he moved into Dakota Crescent with his family.

Almost 60 years later, he is bidding goodbye to the neighbourhood where he grew up, played football with other kids, and eventually started his own family.

“I am going to miss this place so much,” said Mr Chan, 70, who lives in a three-room flat in Block 20 with his wife and son.

“I used to play badminton downstairs too and taught at the Mountbatten Vocational School nearby,” he recalled as he packed his books neatly into cardboard boxes.

The former teacher and insurance salesman lives in one of the 17 rental blocks in the area that should have been vacated by the end of this year under a Housing Board plan to rejuvenate the estate.

However, about 10 per cent of the 400 affected households are still waiting to collect the keys to their new homes, said the HDB. The rest have chosen another rental unit or bought a flat, with many opting for homes in nearby Cassia Crescent.

Under the relocation plan,affected tenants are eligible for various perks such as priority allocation of rental or purchased flats, and a removal allowance. Responding to queries, the HDB said it would grant some residents extensions on the Dec 31 deadline to move out, for instance, if they need more time for renovation work.

A spokesman added that the HDB was “working closely with the grassroots leaders and social workers to render further assistance to tenants who need more help in moving out”.

Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan told The Straits Times that a “large number” of elderly residents without family support have struggled with the transition.

“Our grassroots leaders have helped them to fix their lights, buy shower curtains and new bedframes,” said Mr Lim. “The residents were apprehensive about moving at the start… But many of them are now quite excited about moving into a newer place with newer facilities.”

Yesterday, most of the flats were empty. Abandoned items, such as furniture, clothes and crockery, were strewn below the blocks.

Madam Mary Ho Mei Lai, 65, was still packing the last of her belongings. “I can’t bear to leave,” said the retiree, who has lived in Block 14 for 42 years, and shares a two-room flat with her older brother. “We’ve had many good memories here. It’s so convenient. The Old Airport Road hawker centre and market are just around the corner.

“I am going to miss my neighbours. Some of them will not be moving to Cassia Crescent with us.”

Non-residents have also been snapping pictures of the blocks – built by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1950s – as well as the iconic dove-design playground.

Marketing executive and photo hobbyist Shawn Low, 31, was there with two film cameras. “We’re seeing fewer of such historically significant buildings in Singapore. I really hope they conserve them,” he said, referring to the Government.

Residents behind the Save Dakota Crescent campaign have pushed for the blocks to be re-adapted for other uses, and the issue was discussed in Parliament in October.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Desmond Lee said then that the authorities’ planners “are open to looking at the different ways in which the area can be redeveloped and rejuvenated, while retaining its distinctive identity and character”.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority said it has met with members of the Save Dakota Crescent group and is reviewing its conservation proposal.

yeosamjo@sph.com.sg

Read also: Group making a case to save Dakota Crescent

2016 ‘expiry date’ for Dakota Crescent flats

Dakota Crescent to make way for new developments

This article was first published on Dec 31, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.