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April 07, 2016 4:52 PM
SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has announced a raft of changes and improvements to key areas of Singapore’s defence at the Committee of Supply debate on Thursday (April 7).
SINGAPORE – Start families or have children and get rewarded.
$100 is what national servicemen will get as part of the new Celebratory Gifts scheme, announced Senior Minister of State for Defence Ong Ye Kung at the Committee of Supply Debate On Thursday (April 7), as part of a series of Government initiatives to recognise national servicemen.
Mr Ong said: “We have been finding ways to show appreciation to our national servicemen, and those who support them – the NSman Tax Relief, NS Housing, Medical and Education Awards, Safra facilities.”
“These forms of recognition are important to let them know their sacrifices are deeply appreciated, and for the greater good of Singapore,” he added.
Other than the family celebratory gift, here’s what the Ministry of Defence will be spending some its budget on:
NS Excellence Award enhanced
The Family Recognition Voucher scheme, which will be renamed NS Excellence Award, will be enhanced from April 1.
More NSmen will be awarded for their good performance during In-camp Trainings (ICTs) and NS courses as the number of those who will be rewarded will increase from top 10 per cent to top 30 per cent.
The top 10 per cent will receive $200, while the next 20 per cent will receive $100.
Enhanced insurance coverage
Each serviceman will be covered for $150,000 in group term life and in group personal accident insurance.
This will cover all incidents during full-time NS and operationally-ready NS activities, Mr Ong said.
Better SAFRA facilities
It was earlier announced that the new SAFRA Punggol club will be completed in April 2016.
Mr Ong said he had visited the clubhouse and believes it will “serve the 82,000 NSmen and their families living in the North-east region of Singapore well”.
New NS Mark accreditation scheme
This scheme recognises organisations supportive of NS and Total Defence, and encourages more employers and businesses to adopt human resource practices that support NSmen.
Under the scheme, organisations will be awarded either the NS Mark, or the more prestigious NS Mark (Gold).
maryanns@sph.com.sg
Thailand is still months away from an Aug 7 referendum on its draft Constitution, but confrontations are already brewing.
At the weekend, the army banned a forum on the draft charter in the northern city of Chiang Mai. In Pattaya, police reportedly trailed and stopped activists from campaigning against the document.
Security officials raided the house of a former member of Parliament whose party has announced its opposition to the draft, and seized thousands of allegedly “seditious” red plastic bowls bearing the well wishes of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, meant as gifts to supporters during the upcoming Thai new year.
Army chief Teerachai Nakwanich announced that a list of potential detainees has been drawn up for a new intensive attitude adjustment “course” for persistently troublesome critics at military camps nationwide. Soldiers as well as paramilitary officers, meanwhile, now brandish wide-ranging police powers to suppress a variety of offences, including human trafficking and crimes against public peace and order.
“The referendum on the draft Constitution is also inevitably a referendum on the NCPO’s performance,” says International Crisis Group analyst Matthew Wheeler, referring to the ruling junta’s formal name, the National Council for Peace and Order. “They have already stepped up suppression of critics, and this trend is likely to continue in advance of the referendum.”
It has been almost two years since the military seized power from a Puea Thai party-run government crippled by street protests and judicial rulings. Coup-maker and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has sought to quash dissent in a society unsettled by political turbulence and the frail health of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej. While the Premier has insisted that elections will take place next year, the polls – according to the junta’s road map – can be conducted only with a new Constitution in place.
But the draft charter itself is contentious. It will feature a Senate fully appointed by the junta for five years. It proposes a new mechanism to resolve the kingdom’s frequent political deadlocks, which in the past triggered calls for royal intervention. In the event of a future crisis, the president of the Constitutional Court would be empowered to broker a solution – a scenario which critics allege allows future elected governments to be ousted even without a coup.
Meanwhile, another section of the draft charter is unexpectedly raising heckles. It calls for the kingdom’s guarantee of 12 years of free education to be moved forward, so that kindergarten schooling will be available to all children. While the idea was to school children in their formative years, it will force senior high school students whose families are deemed to be financially sound to pay school fees.
Chulalongkorn University political scientist Pitch Pongsawat thinks the unintended hot potato may galvanise even more opposition to the charter. Given the Puea Thai’s quick rejection of the draft, the attention has fallen on the Democrat Party, whose former members were key leaders in the protests that led to the 2014 coup. Yet the Democrats, citing an existing ban on political gatherings, have remained ambivalent.
Former Democrat legislator Sirichok Sopha thinks his party’s stance would make no difference in this political climate.
“People will be led to the direction that the government is campaigning,” he says.
In the Aug 7 referendum, no-shows will not be counted in the overall tally, which will lower the bar for the draft charter to be enacted.
Yet all these conditions will still not guarantee any particular outcome, warn analysts. The junta has kept mum on what alternatives Thailand would have if the draft charter is rejected. As with most things, it is keeping its cards close to its chest.
tanhy@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 7, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
April 07, 2016 4:40 PM
SINGAPORE – A baby Sunda pangolin that was found weak, hungry and abandoned on Upper Thomson Road two months ago is now thriving under the care of vets at the Night Safari.
SINGAPORE – New public bus operator Go-Ahead Singapore said today (April 7) that it has hired 424 bus captains since it announced its employment package on Feb 15. This is 60 per cent of the 700 bus captain positions it is looking to fill before starting operation in the third quarter of this year.
Go-Ahead Singapore is set to operate 25 bus services in Pasir Ris and Punggol.
It was revealed in November that Go-Ahead Singapore – a subsidiary of The Go-Ahead Group in Britain – beat seven other shortlisted bidders to win the Government’s Loyang package bus contract.
Go-Ahead said that 358 of the bus captains it has hired are currently serving on the routes under the Loyang package, meaning that 87 per cent of bus captains affected by the change of operator have accepted its job offers.
Managing director Nigel Wood – who has said that he started off as a bus driver in London over 20 years ago – said in the statement that bus captains “will be the frontline staff that represent all we stand for, and will literally drive us forward”.
Go-Ahead said that it started training bus captains last month and will put the new hires through “induction sessions on company culture, guidelines and protocols as well as practical training for route familiarisation”.
Recruitment activities are still on-going, and Go-Ahead said that it expects to fill all 700 bus captain positions before starting operation.
Those interested in joining its team can call 8876-6001, or go for a walk-in interview at Loyang bus depot between 9.30am and 12.30pm from Monday to Thursday.
sinsh@sph.com.sg
In his speech yesterday wrapping up the Budget debate, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat responded to concerns raised by 53 MPs over the past three days. He touched on what businesses and workers need to do, as well as social support measures and the need for a progressive yet sustainable tax system.
In the first 18 months of a newborn’s life, his parents can receive at least $15,000 for his care from the Government.
A retiree living in a three-room or larger Housing Board flat received on average $5,000 in state transfers last year, mostly in the form of healthcare subsidies.
These figures were given by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat to illustrate the extent to which the young are given a good footing to achieve their potential and the elderly, to grow old gracefully.
Middle-income earners are not forgotten in the Government’s effort to support all Singaporeans.
Many of them pay little or no income tax, receive support in housing and healthcare, and can use SkillsFuture credits to pay for courses to upgrade their skills.
“All these measures are not as direct as putting money in people’s pocket, but it has meaningful long- term impact on the careers and future of Singaporeans.
“The most important support for all Singaporeans, including the middle-income, is employability and good jobs,” he said.
The Government’s goal is to build an inclusive, resilient society that cares for its members, with more for lower-income families, he said.
Mr Heng focused on these three groups yesterday, especially young children and seniors, as several MPs had championed their cause.
He listed the monetary help given to babies and education subsidies for school-going children.
Seniors can also feel assured about meeting their basic needs with Silver Support, which gives the elderly poor a basic allowance.
But payouts will be made every three months and in advance instead of every month as this gives seniors the flexibility to manage their expenses, Mr Heng added.
Equally important are the programmes for the poor and needy, and to promote volunteerism, like a new scheme that supports businesses to partner charities.
But even as state support increases, Singaporeans should hold on to their spirit of self-reliance, he said.
“We must be cautious that Silver Support does not undermine values such as filial piety, or lead to a divisive mentality among citizens.”
Singaporeans had to take care of one another and solve community problems as one, he added, saying: “It is not through the Government’s efforts alone, but a collective effort, that we can build a caring and resilient society.”
charyong@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 7, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
In his speech yesterday wrapping up the Budget debate, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat responded to concerns raised by 53 MPs over the past three days. He touched on what businesses and workers need to do, as well as social support measures and the need for a progressive yet sustainable tax system.
The key to tackling people’s job worries in the current economic slowdown is to create the right jobs, arm workers with the right skills and then match them rightly, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday in Parliament.
This approach will also help Singaporeans get good jobs and stay employable, he added in his wrap-up speech of the Budget debate.
“I understand the anxieties of Singaporeans – it is not just jobs, it is about our families. We cannot take for granted there will be good jobs and incomes in the future,” he said.
The Government, however, has in place schemes to transform industries that will help develop new companies and train workers in new skills for employment.
But to produce high-value jobs that match Singaporeans’ aspirations, companies need to be competitive and productive, he said.
This is where the new Industry Transformation Programme plays an important role, especially in spurring the creation of jobs that require new skills.
Citing precision engineering firm Feinmetall, he said it is reaping the benefits of innovating and redesigning jobs, and improving the skills of its workers.
The company had sent a young employee, Mr Winson Ng, 26, for training in Germany and he came up with a way to automate a process in semiconductor wafer testing.
His innovation helped increase productivity by four times and reduced training time for the process from nine months to one week.
The shortened training allowed staff to be redeployed to higher value-added jobs in the firm.
Mr Heng said: “Employers play a very, very critical role in enabling the development of their people, not just in upgrading their firms.
“I hope all firms will invest in their people, young and old, and start a virtuous cycle of higher skills, higher productivity, higher wages which can then be reinvested to develop the firm further.”
To help develop the right skills in workers to do these jobs, the minister pointed to the SkillsFuture programme, which will deepen people’s efforts in lifelong learning.
He said more will be done to help job seekers find the right match.
The new Adapt and Grow programme, for instance, will give support to more Singaporeans to reskill and gain employment.
More details on it will be given by Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say during the upcoming debate on his ministry’s plans and programmes.
The TechSkills Accelerator for the information and communications technology sector will also take skills and job matching efforts further, especially as new industries and new types of jobs emerge.
Mr Heng stressed that it is critical to “sustain the long-term vitality of our labour market”.
He also said the Government will study MPs’ ideas on ways to improve the labour market, such as auctioning the right to hire foreign manpower and giving Singaporeans retrenchment benefits.
But it needs to be cautious in how it intervenes in the labour market, Mr Heng said, agreeing with Nominated MP Randolph Tan.
“We cannot simply copy one bit from one country and then another piece from another, and hope to make sense of it,” said Mr Heng.
“There has to be a clear philosophy and a clear sense that the various measures must cohere to be effective over the long term. Most importantly, we must not undermine the sense of independence and efficacy, and the spirit of self-reliance and resilience in our people.”
tsjwoo@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 7, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
If you haven’t heard of Descendants of the Sun, the latest Korean drama to dominate Asian entertainment, you must be living under a very big rock.
Ever since the first biceps were flexed on the 16-episode romantic drama in February this year, female fans have been swooning over its hunky male lead Song Joong Ki. He’s become so sought-after that his face has even made it to hell notes printed in China.
For the male fans in it for the war action, it doesn’t hurt that beautiful actress Song Hye Kyo of Full House fame plays the female lead.
Aside from the melodramatic story line that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, the uniformed men in the show have also kept fans glued to the screen.
Not only do these actors flaunt their taut bodies on screen, they also display too-good-to-be-true characteristics. For example, Jasper Cho, who plays military doctor Daniel Spencer, can fix anything from humans to vehicles in the show. Captain Yoo, played by Song, also has a larger-than-life personality and is on a constant mission to protect and rescue the mild and meek.
With such shining personalities, we can’t blame the hordes of fans for falling head over heels in love with the show (and the actors).
And don’t worry, if a multi-talented doctor and a fearless military captain are not enough to sway you, here are the other actors in the show who have stolen the hearts of fans all over Asia.
ljessica@sph.com.sg
