The Ministry of Defence will also continue its approach of steady investments that have built up a modern, capable armed forces, says Minister Ng Eng Hen.
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SAF to beef up firepower, personnel for fight against terrorism: MINDEF
Budget 2016: Govt can help but firms must take initiative
Companies are grappling with the slowing economy and mounting cost pressures, but there is only so much the Government can and should do to help, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday.
While the Budget contains some measures to help viable companies tide over the rough patch, Mr Heng said businesses must be able to compete by relying on productivity and innovation in the long run, instead of depending on low costs.
Over three days of debate, MPs had called for more help for small and medium-sized enterprises hit by the economic slowdown.
The minister acknowledged their concerns, noting that it is vital to ensure viable companies survive the current period of cyclical weakness. However, the Government “cannot permanently subsidise costs”.
Resources such as space and labour will remain costly here as they are scarce, which means firms cannot treat the Republic as a low-cost location. “Enterprising firms understand this, and build their business models with these hard constraints in mind,” Mr Heng added.
The Government’s role is to shape macroeconomic conditions to support growth – and companies themselves have to take the initiative to restructure and become more productive to thrive, he said.
He noted that some MPs had warned against government support becoming a crutch for companies. Citing a metaphor used by business leader Stephen Koh, Mr Heng said: “Government support is like push-starting a car that has gotten stuck in a difficult patch.
“It can get the car going again, but the Government cannot be pushing the car for miles and miles… once the car is moving, it has to rely on its own engine to go for the long haul.”
In successful economies that have produced many world-leading firms, governments have played “an enabling role” in helping enterprising individuals and businesses go further than they could have on their own, he noted.
Mr Heng quoted Ms Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC), who had said that in the short term, firms expect some fish from the Government to keep workers fed, but “ultimately, the country will run out of fish if they don’t develop eager, smarter and faster ships to get fish from international waters”.
He added: “The Government can help businesses to develop bigger, smarter and faster ships, but ultimately, the captains of industry must navigate the ships and help our firms go the distance.”
chiaym@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 7, 2016.
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Outrage over on-camera abduction attempt in China
Beijing – The choking, assault and attempted kidnapping of a Chinese woman at a Beijing hotel in full view of security cameras and multiple passers-by has sparked a social media firestorm, with more than two billion views.
It is the latest in a series of flashpoint incidents in China where witnesses have stood by doing nothing, sparking debate about whether the country is turning into a society of bystanders.
A woman using the screen name “Wanwan” on Tuesday posted a video of surveillance footage showing her being assaulted by a man in the hallway of a Yitel hotel, an economy chain.
Her assailant choked her, pulled her hair and tried to abduct her while she shouted, “I don’t know you, let go of me!”, she said.
A hotel staff member who assumed that they were a couple having a fight observed them at close proximity for several minutes and asked them take their dispute elsewhere, but did not intervene, she added.
After a failed attempt to flee via the lifts, she was eventually rescued by a female passerby who came to her aid, the footage showed.
“The whole incident lasted five to six minutes, in a place entirely covered with surveillance cameras, yet not a single security or hotel management staff member came out to help me,” Wanwan lamented.
The most popular of numerous hashtags referring to the incident had accumulated over two billion viewings by Thursday afternoon on China’s Twitter-like Weibo – around 50 percent more than the number of people in the world’s most populous country.
It had over two million comments.
“When a man hits a woman, no matter whether they know each other or not and no matter what the reason or what the circumstances, you should always mediate and pull them apart if possible,” said one.
Witnesses are often afraid to come to the aid of strangers in China, where there have been numerous high-profile attempts by injured parties to try to extort money from those who have helped them.
In one well-known 2009 case, a driver who assisted an elderly woman was ordered by a court to pay her 100,000 yuan (S$22,265), on the grounds that he would not have helped if he was not responsible for hitting her.
In another oft-cited 2011 incident, a toddler named Yue Yue in Guangdong province was run over by two separate vehicles and later died after being ignored by more than a dozen passers-by.
The country only passed its first ever law against domestic violence in December, despite government statistics stating that nearly a quarter of all married Chinese women have fallen victim to it.
Wanwan said she called police multiple times, only to be told the event “wasn’t their business”. They later opened an investigation.
In a separate post, Wanwan said the hotel had offered her money to take down her post – which she refused.
The day after her original post, women staged a protest outside the hotel in support, holding signs reading: “Hotels have a responsibility to protect women” and “Who will be responsible for protecting women’s safety?” Yitel’s parent company Homeinns issued a statement saying: “We deeply apologise to the person involved and the general public.” The incident had revealed “insufficient security management and customer service”, among other issues, it admitted.
Many social media posts gave women basic self-defence tips, while others told them not to go out alone at night or dress too fashionably.
“This society! We don’t talk about how to improve security or our bureaucratic governing style, or about using the law to punish violent criminals when their victims have nowhere to turn!” wrote one Weibo commentator in disgust.
“Instead, we ask passers-by and girls to be more careful and not go out at night – this is absurd!”
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Family of woman who died in childbirth allowed to seek claims
THE husband and daughter of a teacher who died in 2007 while delivering her son, will have their day in court to seek dependency claims from her obstetrician and Thomson Medical Centre (TMC). This was allowed although their suit was filed past the three-year statutory limitation period.
The Court of Appeal yesterday ruled that father and daughter should be allowed to pursue their claims, overturning a lower court decision, which had struck out their claims on the grounds that they were time-barred from suing.
The three-judge court said it seems that there was an arguable case that the late disclosure of a set of medical reports “might have resulted in the concealment of the cause of action and resulted in the late commencement of the suit”.
The trial judge will have to decide if the defendants can be prevented from using the limitation defence on the grounds that they had acted fraudulently to conceal negligence, said the court. The patient and her family cannot be named for legal reasons.
In September 2007, the woman, who was given oxyto-cin to induce labour, died during childbirth from acute amniotic fluid embolism. The baby, who suffered brain damage at birth, has severe disabilities.
In the months after her death, her husband asked her obstetrician Koh Cheng Huat for a medical report and TMC for a copy of his wife’s medical records.
However, it appeared that the cardiotocography (CTG) reading, which monitors the foetal heart beat and labour contractions, was incomplete.
In January 2014, the man and his two children filed a negligence suit for damages, including dependency claims and claims for physical injury to the son.
Five months later, portions of the CTG records that were previously omitted were finally provided to the husband.
selinal@sph.com.sg
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New corruption cases dip to all-time low: CPIB
SINGAPORE – The number of fresh cases handled by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) last year fell to an all-time low of 132, dipping from 136 in 2014.
This is despite a spike in the number of complaints: In all, CPIB received 877 complaints…
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Budget 'is but one step in a longer journey'
Parliament yesterday wrapped up the debate on the Government’s Budget, with Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat saying it signalled the country’s determination to transform its economy for the future and keep Singapore thriving.
Rounding up the debate in which 53 MPs spoke over three days, he said that while the Budget was focused on businesses, especially help for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this would lead to better jobs for workers.
Budget 2016’s support for seniors through Silver Support payouts was also about helping the families taking care of them.
And its measures for the young, from pre-school subsidies to KidStart for those from low-income homes, will enable them to seize opportunities, build good careers and, in turn, support their loved ones.
The Budget, Mr Heng said, is “our first step in our journey towards SG100”. To embark on this journey, companies have to transform themselves for long-term growth, and workers have to continually learn skills that the world needs.
And everyone should look out and care for one another as a community, he added.
“It is not possible for the Government to keep handing out goodies to everyone, year after year. Instead, each Budget must build on the previous ones to carry forward the momentum to future Budgets.”
People should not assess the Budget just by how much they stand to gain, as the larger goal is “to make every Singaporean a winner in the long run”, Mr Heng said.
He added: “When we invest in our young, to help them maximise their potential and seize opportunities, we are helping to ensure they will have the means to support their loved ones in their retirement. And when we keep our tax burden low, especially for the middle-income, everyone benefits.”
Mr Heng noted that this year’s Budget is tilted towards helping SMEstackle short-term challenges without getting in the way of changes for them to stay competitive.
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In fact, he added, Budget 2016 marks a move to the next phase of Singapore’s restructuring journey through the Industry Transformation Programme, which adopts a more targeted approach in helping companies. Several MPs had lauded it over the past two days.
Innovation must be pervasive, he said, noting that the new SG Innovate will connect start-ups to funds and help bring solutions to market.
Singapore also has to create the right jobs, develop the right skills and enable the right match between the two. Businesses and workers have a part to play – investing in staff training and tapping the SkillsFuture scheme.
Several MPs had, in the past two days, noted that Singapore’s spending needs will rise in the coming years but revenue growth will slow.
Mr Heng said this means Singapore must build a vibrant economy and grow its revenues, spend prudently and right, and design a fiscal system that is fair and progressive.
The road ahead will be bumpy and full of unknowns – both good and bad, he added, calling on Singaporeans to work together, and draw on their spirit of enterprise and caring for one another.
“The purpose of this journey is to journey together, and to reach our destination together as one united cohesive people,” he said. “We must look out and care for one another as we journey.”
He added: “There are many innovations ahead of us that we cannot yet imagine, many personal and shared triumphs, many moments of humanity, unity and beauty that will keep defining our Singapore.”
The House also debated plans for the Home Affairs and Law ministries yesterday. It will discuss plans for the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and Industry ministries today.
yasminey@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 7, 2016.
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Vegetation fire breaks out in open field at Punggol
April 07, 2016 3:30 PM
SINGAPORE – A sizeable portion, measuring 30m by 30m, of an open field in Punggol caught fire on Thursday (April 7) afternoon.
Pixar's 'Finding Dory' banks on Nemo's enduring appeal
Monterey – With the phenomenal box office achievements of “Finding Nemo” a fading memory, Pixar is attempting to succeed where many studios have failed – with a hit sequel years after the original.
When “Finding Dory,” starring Ellen DeGeneres and Idris Elba, comes out in the United States on June 17, a full 13 years will have passed since Marlin the clownfish delighted audiences with his quest to find his disappeared son Nemo.
Studio bosses will be aware such a long gap can be a real buzz-kill, with numerous follow-ups to huge blockbusters bombing at the box office because the appetite for their themes and characters faded with time.
“Bambi II,” which came out 63 years after the original, was a relative failure, while critics said “Fantasia 2000” was a pale imitation of the 1940 film.
Critics resented having to “Return to Neverland” and “Return to Oz” – 49 and 45 years respectively after “Peter Pan” and “The Wizard of Oz” delighted cinemagoers.
More recently, there have been a few successes: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the fourth in the series, put director George Miller centre stage during this year’s Hollywood awards season, 36 years after the character’s first silver screen outing.
Sylvester Stallone, too, loomed large on the nominations lists for his turn in the much-praised latest “Rocky Balboa” instalment, “Creed.” But for every “Mad Max” or “Rocky,” there is a “Zoolander,” “Shaft” or “Tron” which makes the task of following up distant hits look almost impossible.
“Finding Dory,” due for its theatrical release on June 17 in the US, is set six months after the events of “Nemo” and follows the travails of Marlin’s forgetful companion Dory, a Pacific regal blue tang.
Jeff Bock, a box office expert at statistical website Exhibitor Relations, said love for Nemo had actually grown over the years and he expects “Dory” to take about the same as its predecessor – somewhere in the region of $1 billion.
“It’s never too late to introduce a spin-off, sequel or reboot, with one caveat: it had better be an authentic attempt to bolster or maintain the legacy of the source material upon which it is based,” added Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst at marketing data company comScore.
“Dory” director Andrew Stanton, who was also behind “Nemo,” said Pixar had been clear when they were in negotiations for the buy-out by Disney that they would only make sequels if they had “a story that really holds up.”
Stanton’s writing credits include all three “Toy Story” movies, with the fourth instalment due out in 2018, and he has directed, produced and voiced numerous Oscar-winning animated films over a 30-year-career.
“Each movie is four years of my life. So I have to ask, do I really want to spend 16 years of my life with fish movies? It really has to be something I want to spend four years on,” the 50-year-old told AFP.
The premise underpinning “Dory” – an underwater odyssey to find lost family – is the same that paid off so handsomely for “Nemo.”
A crew of almost 250 have been taking the sequel from script to screen via 108,000 pages of storyboard and the conception and animation process for new characters.
A big challenge has been to stay true to Nemo’s visual universe while integrating technological advances that have taken place over the last 13 years.
As Dory and Marlin meet in “Finding Nemo,” the water which surrounds them is invisible and without texture, evident only in the undulations of algae and the movement of the characters’ fins.
The characters meet again in “Dory,” but this time the audience is treated to a marine world of incredible detail featuring tiny plankton, shadows and sunlight on dancing on reefs and algae, air bubbles and displaced sand clouds.
Talk show host DeGeneres reprises her role as Dory, with Elba taking the part of sea lion Fluke in an all-star cast which also includes Diane Keaton and Michael Sheen.
As he was working on “Nemo,” Stanton was amused by the notion that some fish have memories spanning just five seconds, but he didn’t know how to bring this idea to life through his characters.
“Then I finally heard Ellen on TV and I heard her change the topic five times in one sentence… then I couldn’t stop writing,” he told AFP.
Stanton telephoned DeGeneres and said he’d written a character for her and that his film would be ruined if she didn’t take the part.
“She said: ‘OK then, I’d better do it.’ And that was it,” Stanton recalls.
“That was the shortest conversation. Then the second shortest conversation was on ‘Finding Dory.’ I told her ‘do you want to do it?’ and she said ‘Yes, done.'”
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Line removes satirical Thai royal family emoticons
Bangkok – A set of emoticons satirising Thailand’s royal family have been removed by the messaging application Line, in a country where discussion of the monarchy is tightly controlled by a draconian royal insult law.
Cached webpages of Line’s “sticker store” seen by AFP on Thursday show the set of cartoon images was available at 1700 GMT on Tuesday, but have now been deleted.
Thailand’s lese majeste legislation is the one of the world’s harshest, carrying a 15 year jail sentence per offence.
It specifically outlaws criticism of the king, queen and his anointed successor, but is broadly interpreted to silence even tangential references members of the family and the institution.
Most of the stickers referenced scandals and rumours that have trailed the monarchy despite efforts to control its image inside the kingdom.
Other more benign stickers showed royalty partaking in hobbies often publicised by the palace’s media arm, such as the King Bhumibol Adulyadej playing a saxophone.
Line, the most popular messaging platform in Thailand similar to Whatsapp or Viber, and the ministry of information did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
Japan-based Line has its own animated stickers that users can send each other, but also allows people to make their own and sell them through its online store.
The royal family stickers were user created by a user, not the company.
On its website, Line says it “reviews (sticker) submissions against our sales criteria” before they go live.
Lese majeste prosecutions have sky-rocketed under the ultra-royalist junta that seized power in a 2014 coup, with many Thais targeted for social media postings deemed defamatory.
The royal family has become an increasingly sensitive topic as the hospital bound 88-year-old Bhumibol, the world’s longest reigning monarch, enters his twilight years.
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Parliament: National servicemen to get $100 vouchers when they get married or start a family
April 07, 2016 3:11 PM
SINGAPORE – Besides being rewarded for performing well during training, national servicemen will also be given a token when they start families.
