At the launch of his book Rising India: Fresh Hope, New Fears, author Ravi Velloor said he had two wishes when he set out to write the book. He wished Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong would launch it and that former foreign minister George Yeo would write the foreword to the book.

Both his wishes came true, he told the audience at the National Library’s The Pod on April 21. The book looks at India’s journey in recent years, the position it now enjoys and the challenges ahead.

ESM Goh, at the start of his address, said he normally does not officiate at book launches.

“I do so only when I see a larger purpose. The rise of India is a strong reason for me to do so.”

Mr Goh said he too had a wish, which we will come to later.

He said Mr Velloor had covered his visits to India and is a keen observer of events and a good narrator. The former Singapore prime minister, who is credited with sparking a mild India fever during his time as PM, said the book artfully captures the key political changes in India and conveys the country’s growing optimism. But he added that India had seen its fortunes come and go and that there were missed opportunities.

“So as an old friend of India, I thought I should offer two suggestions,” said ESM Goh. He suggested that India should look beyond Make in India and become a global manufacturer by enacting strong economic reforms. He also suggested liberalising India’s aviation sector and adding air connectivity.

“Air connectivity is infrastructure in the sky. As India grows, I see India becoming a major destination in its own right as well as a global aviation hub for air travellers.”

Mr Velloor credits Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez with conceiving the idea and encouraging him to write the 384-page book which is priced at $34.90 (including GST).

At the launch, Mr Velloor, 58, said that each chapter of the book is self-contained. “I wrote it for a reader who has a general interest in India and is keen to know a bit more about it.”

When asked about the book’s subtitle, he told tabla!: “One big fear I have for India is that its minorities have started to feel thoroughly insecure. I wish PM Modi, who is said to be such a big admirer of the Singapore model, would closely study how we carefully and continually nurture race relations on this island. I feel minority unrest could well be a major national security challenge for this government.

“The other big national security challenge is going to be job creation. Every month that passes, it takes thousands of dollars more of investment to create a single job because of the march of automation and robotisation. With 600 million people under the age of 25, India will need to put job creation into mission mode and find rapid solutions.”

He feels that the book may come in for criticism from both Congress supporters and Hindu hardliners in India.

“I suspect the Congress supporters will see this as a pro-Modi book while the Hindutva die-hards will call this an anti-Modi book. All I can say is that I gave praise where I thought appropriate while not hesitating to point out the drawbacks and flaws of key personalities. I hope I succeeded in taking readers behind the scenes to get a close glimpse of some of the key events of our time.”

The book drew praise from Mr Yeo, who in his long foreword to the book wrote: “Each chapter cuts a different slice into the complex reality which is India. Like a CT scan, the slices combine to give the reader a composite sense of the unfolding Indian drama.

Importantly for Asia, it also looks closely at the strategic sweet spot India has found itself in, wooed by every major power. India is too big to be ignored.”

So what is ESM Goh’s wish?

Concluding his speech he said: “Ravi, I hope you will write a sequel to India Rising. An apt title would be India Flying.”

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An experienced team to manage the Housing Board estates and take care of their needs is what Bukit Batok residents will get if they vote for the People’s Action Party (PAP) on May 7.

This, said the party’s candidate, Mr Murali Pillai, sets him apart from his rival, Dr Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

Also, he pledged to put his constituents first. “I will unequivocally say that I will always put my residents’ needs above my own.

“If there’s a situation where Bukit Batok residents’ needs will compete with my own, I will always put them first,” he said.

His late father P.K. Pillai, a unionist and former political detainee, had ingrained these values in him, he added, teaching him to “always put community before self”.

Mr Murali was speaking to reporters last night in between his walkabouts and visits to homes in five HDB blocks.

In pointing out why the PAP is the better party for the job, he highlighted its volunteer links, partnerships with non-profit organisations and experience in running a town council.

“It is this team approach that is needed to address the needs of Bukit Batok. So if anyone has the notion that a single MP working full time would be able to address their needs, I’m afraid he may have to reassess the situation,” he said.

“That does not accord with my experience, having spent 16 years here under the late MP Ong Chit Chung and other MPs.”

His remark was directed at Dr Chee’s pledge to be a full-time MP if he was elected.

Dr Chee, a former academic, does not hold down a full-time job.

Mr Murali is head of commercial litigation for Rajah and Tann, a top law firm.

“PAP MPs have been doing this day in, day out,” he said.

“And this was part and parcel of what I had done for many years,” he added citing his experience as the PAP’s branch secretary in Bukit Batok, then as the branch chairman in Paya Lebar ward in Aljunied GRC.

If elected, Mr Murali said Bukit Batok will remain in Jurong-Clementi Town Council and continue to be part of the Jurong family, which includes Jurong GRC.

He also said competence and experience matter in carrying out upgrading projects, like the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, which will be done regardless of who is elected the MP.

“It’s one thing to have the funds, but it’s another to come up with ideas that resonate with residents and not be white elephants,” he said.

“There’s no need to experiment,” he added, stressing that the Jurong-Clementi Town Council has an exceptional track record in implementing plans to the satisfaction of Bukit Batok residents.

This article was first published on April 29, 2016.
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His fiery speeches in Parliament during his four terms as MP have made headlines. A people’s person whose uncanny ability to keep his ears close to the ground made him a valuable asset to the Singapore Government. These traits made Mr Inderjit Singh one of the most well-liked politicians in Singapore in recent times.

But to the Sikhs in Singapore, he is one of the reasons the community has often been said to have punched well above its weight. Being a high-profile public figure, he helped expand the presence of the community at the national level, making him a role model for young Sikhs.

Mr Inderjit stepped down from politics and did not contest the last General Election. To recognise and thank him for his contributions, an Appreciation Dinner for him was held by the Sikh community on April 23. At the dinner organised by the Young Sikh Association or YSA (Singapore) and supported by the Sikh Sewaks Singapore and Naam Ras Kirtan Darbar, community leaders thanked Mr Inderjit for his leadership, guidance and support for the community since his entry into politics in 1996.

“A true Sikh who embodied the Sikh values of sacrifice, service, perseverance, dedication and hard work, Inderjit entered politics in 1996 and went on to serve not only our nation but also the Sikh community until he stood down as a Member of Parliament last year,” said Mr Surjit Singh Wasan, member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights and the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, in his speech at the dinner.

“Many of his contributions were made silently or working with close groups of people, but whose impact the community as a whole has benefited from. Many of Inderjit’s contributions also happened out of sight of the public eye.”

Mr Wasan, who was the immediate past chairman of the Sikh Advisory Board, worked closely with Mr Inderjit on matters pertaining to the Sikh community in Singapore. He provided an account of the former Ang Mo Kio GRC MP’s countless contributions to the community here.

Mr Inderjit’s many contributions included his leadership of the community in key milestone projects, playing the role of a mediator, building consensus within the community on contentious issues and helping the community achieve many of its aims, including getting government funding for the teaching of Punjabi as a second language along with the other minority non-Tamil Indian languages. He also got the Sikh Welfare Council the status of the Institute of Public Character (IPC).

Mr Wasan added that Mr Inderjit had, through his upright conduct and positive visibility over the years, upheld the good name and image of the Sikh community.

YSA president Malminderjit Singh pointed out that youth development was another area where Mr Inderjit played a key role. In his speech Mr Malminderjit said the former MP’s ability to focus on the long-term has also seen him invest great time and energy in the youth of the community.

“Despite his busy schedule, he has always made himself available to youth organisations and initiatives and provided his counsel, no matter how trivial the concerns brought to his attention were. He never made any of us feel that our ideas were too small or inconsequential,” said Mr Malminderjit.

He explained that the appreciation dinner was one of the ways for the youths to thank Mr Inderjit. The YSA has other initiatives lined up to deepen his legacy in the community. One of these efforts, he said, was an award named after the entrepreneur-cum-politician. “To entrench in the community his values of enterprise, innovation, dedication and the never-say-die attitude, I am pleased to confirm that YSA will launch a community award named after Mr Inderjit. The award is aimed at inspiring young Sikhs by highlighting individuals in the community who embody these values.”

An independent working committee will be set up to look into the finer points of this award.

Mr Inderjit was also honoured with a plaque and portrait of himself at the appreciation dinner by two community patrons – Mr Kartar Singh Thakral and Mr Naranjan Singh Brahmpura.

A presentation at the event showed the tributes from Sikhs and non-Sikhs that flowed in for Mr Inderjit’s contributions to the nation and community. One of these came from Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam who wrote: “Inderjit is an outstanding son of Singapore. His contributions in politics, the ear he lent to people from all quarters of life, and his leading role in promoting entrepreneurship, have left a strong mark on our society. I am glad to know him as a friend.”

Ms Chew Mok Lee, the assistant chief executive of SPRING Singapore, paid a glowing tribute to Mr Inderjit’s contributions to entrepreneurship in Singapore.

“As one of the earliest proponents of entrepreneurship, you have been (and continue to be) relentless in pushing boundaries in financing, in building the entrepreneurial eco-system and in championing the removal of restrictions of rules and regulations,” she said.

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The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has what it takes to run a town council, and that will be a core message at its rally tonight, party chief Chee Soon Juan said.

He told reporters yesterday that the party will give details on how it will ensure a smooth takeover of the town council from the People’s Action Party (PAP) should he win the Bukit Batok by-election.

The party will also outline specific goals on the town council transition for the first 100 days after the by-election, he added, assuring residents that their estate will be in good hands even with a change of management.

“We want to make sure the voters here know how serious we are about ensuring a smooth takeover of the town council,” he told a media conference outside Bukit Batok MRT station, where he handed out campaign fliers to the evening rush-hour crowd and posed for photographs with supporters.

The SDP had, last May, released a town council management plan that, among other things, sets targets and deadlines, such as aiming to gather all of the town council’s financial information within the first 30 days of taking over.

The party has also named a four-man resource panel to advise it on town council issues in the first 100 days if Dr Chee is elected.

Besides town council issues,Dr Chee said, speakers at the rally will touch on the topic of job security amid the current economic slowdown.

Dr Chee was also asked if he had reached out to the voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), such as Fei Yue Community Services, that the PAP has roped in to help with social programmes in Bukit Batok.

He replied that he was confident that the VWOs would remain involved in the various social programmes if the SDP wins the by-election on May 7.

“If they are VWOs, why do they worry who runs the town council? You mean just because SDP runs the town council, VWOs say, ‘Okay, we don’t have to care about the residents here any more’?” he said.

He added that a “truly caring candidate” would hope for the VWOs to stay on to help the community, whether or not he is elected.

Dr Chee began his day at the MRT station yesterday reaching out to voters on their way to work before doing his usual round of house visits. He also gave several media interviews.

In the evening, he said that, with Nomination Day over, he sensed that residents were more tuned in to the ongoing campaign as Polling Day drew nearer.

But he declined to speculate on whether the month of groundwork he has put in had made an impact on voters.

“We don’t have time right now to conduct all these little polls,” he said. “The most important poll we will encounter is the one on May 7.”

This article was first published on April 29, 2016.
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THE final report for Singapore Post’s long-awaited corporate governance special audit has yet to be completed nearly a month after the findings were originally supposed to be released.

Though SingPost has not publicly pinpointed the cause of the seeming hold-up, sources indicated that one of the main reasons for the delay was a lengthy to-and-fro between the special auditors and board members such as independent director Keith Tay. They added that regulators also got involved.

Speculation is rife that after the report comes out, directors including Mr Tay may decide to leave the board ahead of the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) in July. Mr Tay said in early April that he plans to not seek re-election at the AGM. He has also stepped down from the post of nominating committee chairman.

The SingPost counter dived 4.5 per cent or 7.5 Singapore cents to S$1.61 on Monday and has hovered around that level since. It closed at that price on Thursday, half a cent up from the previous day.

SingPost’s special audit is being conducted by law firm Drew & Napier and consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Mr Tay had proposed the special audit in December last year and the board tapped PwC as special auditor about four weeks later in late January. But after public pressure over PwC’s role as SingPost’s longstanding external auditor, the board brought in Drew & Napier as joint special auditor in early February and said that the joint special audit would be completed in March.

At the end of March, however, SingPost said that it expected to release a summary of the audit findings in April. And as at Thursday evening, there was still no sign of the special audit summary.

“We understand that the auditors are close to completing the report,” SingPost spokesman Peter Heng told The Business Times on Tuesday. When asked what had held up the report, he would only say: “This is the result of the thorough and independent investigation that the joint auditors have undertaken.”

He added that SingPost was sticking to its decision to release only a summary of the special audit findings to shareholders, rather than the full report. “Our position to issue a summary of the special audit for our shareholders and other stakeholders remains. The full report will be submitted to the regulatory authorities.”

Mr Heng said over the phone on Thursday that SingPost’s Tuesday statement still held.

SingPost shareholder and corporate governance specialist Mak Yuen Teen told BT: “While I would like a thorough special audit rather than a speedy one, it’s well overdue now. Such a delay may lead to speculation about the findings and whether there is pressure to redact the special audit report.”

Sources said that the special audit findings were taking some time to be completed partly due to a drawn-out to-and-fro between the special auditors and board members including Mr Tay, who is at the centre of SingPost’s corporate governance maelstrom.

Mr Tay was given at least three opportunities for Maxwellisation rather than the typical one shot, sources said. Maxwellisation is a legal term that refers to the process of presenting critical references in a probe to the criticised parties to give them the chance to reply.

The board has also needed time to formulate its response to the special audit findings, the completion which might be followed by board changes, sources added.

SingPost’s corporate governance issues centre on Mr Tay’s interest in the group’s acquisition of stakes in three companies. SingPost admitted last December that it had failed to properly disclose Mr Tay’s interest in a 2014 acquisition.

melissat@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 29, 2016.
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