Changes to the elected presidency (EP) are aimed at improving the system for Singapore’s long-term future, not at barring certain individuals from standing, Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

“The starting point in looking at this is the system. We are doing this for the future, for the benefit of Singaporeans, our children and grandchildren,” he said at a dialogue with 1,300 grassroots leaders and residents at ITE College Central.

“You don’t look at individuals and then work backwards,” he said.

The recommended changes, which the Government broadly accepted in a White Paper last Thursday, were proposed by a Constitutional Commission that felt the eligibility criteria should be raised, as did many of the participants yesterday, noted Mr Shanmugam, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.

Participant Edmund Lim had asked Mr Shanmugam whether the changes might seem aimed at denying candidates like Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who ran in the 2011 Presidential Election, a chance to contest the next election due by next August.

On Saturday, Dr Tan wrote on Facebook that Mr Shanmugam had said at a dialogue last Thursday that he could not qualify with the changes. Wrote Dr Tan: “Is there some truth after all that the changes in the rules were to make sure I would not be eligible? It would be a sad day for Singaporeans if a constitutional change was made because of an individual.”

Replying to Mr Lim’s question yesterday, Mr Shanmugam said Singaporeans should “start with a set of logical questions on the system, and then apply it fairly”.

The questions are:

• Do you believe that Singapore needs a president with specific powers to say no to the Government?
• If so, do you think this person needs to be elected and cannot be appointed by the Government?
• If so, do you think there must be some criteria beyond being a Singaporean aged 45 and above, so he can say yes or no to spending a large sum from the reserves?
• And if so, do you think the criteria need to be reviewed regularly?

Mr Shanmugam asked for a show of hands for each question, and a majority of the participants raised their hands. “Once you look at it like that, you will see that this is not directed at any individual,” he said.

The Government was updating the system for the “best possible chance” of having the right person for the job, not making exceptions to ensure a particular individual would qualify or not, he added.

Mr Shanmugam noted that the review of the EP comes 25 years after it was introduced.

And the commission led by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon studied over 100 written submissions and invited 20 groups and persons who made them to public hearings, which were widely covered by the media, before putting out its recommendations.

These include private-sector candidates having been the most senior executive in a company with at least $500 million in shareholders’ equity, compared with the current $100 million in paid-up capital.

A look at the presidents of Singapore

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Zawiyah Salleh, New Nation, Wee Kim Wee, The Business Times, The New Paper, The Ong family, Lianhe Zaobao

As the president is a symbol of Singapore’s multiracialism, there will also be a mechanism to reserve the next election for a candidate from one of the three main racial groups – Chinese, Malay, or Indian and others – if no one from that group has held the office in the preceding five terms .

Other questions raised yesterday included whether the Council of Presidential Advisers should be elected and if there should still be a vote if only one candidate was eligible to stand for election that year.

Sculptor Elsie Yu asked if the Government could reserve elections for women. Mr Shanmugam said it would likely not go down this route, “but we should try and change attitudes, particularly of our men”.

Participants were also divided on whether the provision to ensure minorities are represented in the presidency was necessary – even as some felt five terms was too long.

“There are many different views,” Mr Shanmugam said, noting that group representation constituencies to ensure minority MPs were initially unpopular, but have now become a mainstay.

“It shows you the importance of having it (the minority provision), because in some things the Government has got to take the lead.”

yanliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 19, 2016.
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She is visually impaired, but even a 2.4m-high wall could not stand in her way. Miss Patricia Poo, 27, was born with sclerocornea, a genetic eye condition that leads to clouding of the cornea. It has left her completely blind in her right eye and with partial sight in her left eye.

But this has not stopped the receptionist at Sengkang Family Service Centre from taking part in many road runs.

She even took part in the Spartan Race, an obstacle race, in May.

With the help of a guide, Miss Poo overcame more than 20 obstacles in the 5km race. These included carrying sandbags, flipping tyres and climbing over a 2.4m-tall wall.

Ms Jan Chan, 39, who was taking photos for Ms Poo during the race, said: “The moment she managed to climb over that wall, she burst into tears.”

Miss Poo said it felt like she had proved her critics wrong.

She said: “Before the race, some colleagues actually asked me whether I knew what I had signed up for.

“But when I climbed that wall… I showed them I could do it.”

Ms Chan, a primary school teacher, said: “She’s a fighter. She is resilient and determined to prove herself to those who doubt her abilities.”

It was not the first time Ms Chan has seen her friend overcome such challenges.

She was Miss Poo’s running guide in the Yellow Ribbon Run 2013, which was Miss Poo’s first long-distance race.

Ms Chan said: “It was not an easy race… There were many slopes and it was extremely crowded. For a first-timer, it can be daunting, even more so since she is visually impaired.”

Miss Poo got into long-distance running in 2013 when she noticed her colleagues picking up the sport.

Her friend introduced her to Runninghour, a running event where participants run and guide people with disabilities. That was also where she met Ms Chan, who is a committee member of Runninghour.

Since then, Miss Poo has kept on running, completing 21 races over the last three years.

“Running brings me joy. After a run, all the stress and worry from the day just goes away,” she said.

“I was never really afraid of taking the first step or getting hurt. I told myself, whether I’m home or outside running, I’m equally at risk of falling down so I just went and ran,” she said.

Ms Liz Koh, 46, a human resources director who is also one of Ms Poo’s guides from Runninghour, said: “Patricia has never let her disability stop her, she goes out with us for meals and holds down a job, just like a normal person.”

AWARD

In April, Miss Poo was awarded the Singapore Health (Singhealth) Inspirational Patient Award in honour of her resilient attitude despite her visual impairment.

Miss Poo trains three times a week, clocking an average of 5km to 10km per session.

She always runs with a guide as “it is too dangerous” without.

The guide directs her during turns and warns her of even the tiniest obstacle like a stone on the pavement.

She said: “I can only see 1m to 2m ahead of me and make out rough shapes of objects, like buildings and trees. (The guides) are my eyes. Without them, I won’t be able to run.”

But what she lacks in sight, Ms Poo makes up for with a sensitive touch and sharp hearing.

She said: “I can feel even the slightest difference in terrain when I run.”

Ms Chan said: “Sometimes, she tells me there is someone running from behind even before I notice the person myself.”

Miss Poo can even make out the direction of traffic flow just by listening to the sound of cars.

“At cross junctions, I listen to visualise which way the cars are going and when they stop or go,” she said.

Her keen ears have helped her cross roads with traffic lights that are not enabled with audible pedestrian signals (APS), which make a ticking sound to indicate it is safe for pedestrians to cross.

She said: “It took eight months for an appeal I made to install APS at traffic lights near my house in Sengkang to be approved.

“I think we are still a society that is unfriendly for the visually impaired community.

“More can definitely be done to help make our lives easier.”

chooxlc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 19, 2016.
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The iPhone circus is back in town.

Last week, Apple held their annual keynote in San Francisco, and with it, announced the arrival of yet another new iPhone.

Along comes the pre-order period a few days later, and here we are today (Sept 16) when the phone will officially be in the hands of the Apple faithful.

“Get the iPhone online or risk not getting it at all” – that was Apple’s stance, as Techcrunch found out, when asked about the allotment to walk-in customers at Apple Stores.

This comes in the midst of another statement saying that the fingerprint- and scratch-prone Jet Black model will only be released in limited numbers for the initial batches.

Back in Singapore, those hoping to get their grubby paws on Apple’s latest toy flooded the websites of our three telcos on booking day – and unhappiness and massive disappointment ensued.

Singtel was plagued with technical difficulties due to their ordering site not being able to cope with the web traffic.

This caused a full day of delay before customers can log in again.

The common thread among Singtel, M1 and Starhub though, is the inability of customers to get the phones of their choice, if anything at all.

On top of Apple’s confirmation that initial batches are in limited quantities, local telcos have also confirmed that shipment for certain models have been delayed on Apple’s end and will not be available on launch day.

This, of course, caused unrest amongst a lot of people.

Queuing for profits

While queues for Apple products in Singapore are still quite tame as compared to those in the USA, we are still a nation who will queue for anything that people deem worth their time.

From clearance sales to, in this case, products with some level of exclusivity, Singaporeans from all walks of life can be seen queuing not just overnight, but sometimes even days in advance.

For the iPhone 7, people had started waiting at some telco outlets and official Apple resellers as early as on Thursday morning, first forming “unofficial” queues until mall management started putting up barricades at the various stores for them to wait in.

iPhone 7 launch in Asia

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AsiaOne, Reuters, The Straits Times, AFP

But here’s the kicker, the iPhone as a commodity is still a somewhat big business, and Singapore is always fortunate enough to always be on the list of countries to get it first.

While it means that Singaporeans are in line to be one of the first in the world to get their hands on Apple’s latest, it also means that neighbouring countries who are not getting it at the same time will clamour for it.

This can happen two ways – someone here is exporting it to them, or people are actually flying into Singapore to get it.

Picture this, in places like Hong Kong, their Apple Stores actually have a quota for how many iPhones can be sold in a day.

Channel NewsAsia yesterday interviewed a Vietnamese lady who has especially flew into Singapore just to get a hold of the new iPhone 7, citing that she could sell it back home for at least S$3,000.

Though no specific model was mentioned, it’s assumed she got the most sought-after one – the 256GB black iPhone 7 Plus that costs $1,588 on the Apple Store.

A profit of roughly $1,400 is a pretty penny, though we haven’t accounted for how much she spent travelling here. With the current shortage of supply from Apple, she is sure to earn much more from the sale anyway.

Now imagine if it was a Singaporean selling the phone and getting that kind of money.

The Vietnamese woman is just one individual. When we’re talking about bulk resellers, these profits are amplified.

The keen-eyed of you who have been to iPhone launch events may have noticed shady people with stacks of cash lurking around,  offering to buy your phones.

These people are, more often than not, exporters or working for one.

Apple Holds Press Event To Introduce New iPhone

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, AFP

It’s distasteful but not unlawful

The iPhone-reselling industry is much like the underground clothing reselling industry, where products – by brands such as Supreme – could go for as much as ten times its original value due to its limited quantities.

These iPhone resellers are paying people to queue for them, or buying phones off strangers looking to sell.

This means that those who genuinely want the phone are unfairly frozen out.

At the start, there will always be a mad rush to be the first to own one at all costs, despite the fact it is common knowledge that by year’s end, there will most definitely be enough iPhones of every colour to go around for everyone to buy – FOMO (fear of missing out) at its finest at work.

I will admit that I used to be on that bandwagon of timing my re-contract period to the month of September, when iPhones are traditionally launched.

Looking back, the time and effort to camp online waiting for the bookings to open, or having to brave the queues at Marina Bay Sands at the Singtel collection area definitely doesn’t justify the purported “profits”.

I will be taking a laid-back approach to any new iPhone from this year – I’ll watch all the drama during the launch, and then leisurely order one for myself from the Apple Store online a few months later.

This article was first published on Sept 16, 2016.
Vulcan Post is all about living life with a digital edge, up and coming startups, and people who inspire conversations.
Visit Vulcan Post for more stories.

See also:

• iPhone 7 ‘seller’ scams a dozen of more than $10,000
• Fans cheer, but Asia gives iPhone 7 subdued welcome
• Singtel mobile users to pay extra ‘admin fee’ when recontracting

When news of the Zika virus first broke out, several places experienced a decline in customers to the point where they were dubbed “ghost towns” by the media.

Since then, two hawker centres have seen their crowds return. One of the main reasons for the change is that patrons are better informed about the effects of the Zika virus.

As of Friday, there were 14 new confirmed cases of Zika, according to latest figures on the National Environment Agency’s website.

This brings the number of confirmed cases to 369 since the start of the outbreak of last month.

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

Mrs Cheong Leong, 60, who owns a noodle stall at Sims Vista Market and Food Centre, said that in the past, customers did not know the Zika virus was mild and thought that it was very dangerous for adults.

The return to business as usual is good news for the hawkers.

Mr Savis, 70, who sells Indian food at Mohd Sahbir Muslim Food in Sims Vista Market and Food Centre, is glad that customers are slowly returning.

He said: “Immediately after the reports (of the Zika virus) started coming out, people were scared and didn’t come… We didn’t make much, but we managed to get by.”

According to Mr Savis, crowds have slowly returned since last Monday, and his fortunes turned around.

“Things are slowly picking up… I’m all right now,” he said.

Mr Lim Cheng Hu, 64, who works part-time, said he is not worried about getting infected himself, but he has asked his daughter-in-law, who is four months pregnant, to stop visiting him at his home in Aljunied.

At Geylang East Centre Market and Food Centre, Madam Saniah Haji Abdullah, 54, who owns a Malay pastry shop, said that her business has improved by 50 per cent compared to when the outbreak first occurred.

She said that before the outbreak, she had more that 300 orders a day, but this dwindled to about 220 when customers stopped coming.

She said that the past few weeks were difficult as she still had to pay rent and buy ingredients. “No business, no money,” she said.

Madam Saniah is “very happy” that her business is slowly gaining back its usual number of customers.

Mrs Piyarat Taitulanon, 28, housewife, who is a regular at Geylang East Centre Market and Food Corner, said that when her six-month-old daughter came down with a flu and rash, she stopped letting her go down.

Mrs Taitulanon has decided to take her daughter out again, but only after applying mosquito repellant on her.

Fighting Zika: Which mosquito repellent to use

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, New Straits Times, Avon, Reuters, The Business Times, Ronnie Lim, Far East Flora

Several customers at both food centres said they have not stopped going to the centres even during the height of the outbreak.

Mr Randy Lim, 31, who has two son, aged 11 and two, said he would take them out to eat every day as it is more convenient and he is not worried about the virus.

leeganjp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 19, 2016.
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