SINGAPORE: Some residents in Aljunied and Hougang want personal mobility devices (PMD) banned from HDB void decks and common areas, but the Workers’ Party-run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) said on Friday (Aug 16) that it already has “powers” to deter people from riding such devices in common areas.

This comes after Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min announced in Parliament on Aug 5 that all 15 People’s Action Party (PAP) town councils will implement the ban, which means riders will have to dismount and push their PMDs in those areas.

On Aug 7, PAP town council coordinating chairman Teo Ho Pin said in a statement that the ban will kick in on Sep 1, after amendments to town council by-laws on common property and open spaces.

Under the amended by-laws, the town councils can fine these PMD riders or take them to court.

READ: 15 town councils to ban PMDs in void decks and corridors, pedestrian-only zones to be trialled

While AHTC did not confirm either way if it would implement the ban, it told CNA that it already has the “powers to deter PMDs from riding at common areas”. 

“However, enforcing these powers without evidence of an infraction is a challenge,” it said in response to queries.

It added that it has implemented a two-pronged approach to reduce irresponsible PMD use.

“Firstly, the town council has stepped up on educational efforts to remind PMD users to be considerate and to dismount and push their PMDs at the lift lobbies and void decks,” it said.

“Secondly, residents who observe errant PMD riders are encouraged to use LTA’s new app (feature) to spot, snap and send (a report).”

READ: Ban on PMDs at void decks, common areas to start Sep 1: PAP town councils

Separately, AHTC said it is working with the Land Transport Authority to implement pedestrian-only zones in its district.

Dr Lam had said in Parliament that the zones will first be trialled in Bedok, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok, Khatib and Tampines.

RESIDENTS WANT BAN IMPLEMENTED

Of 11 Aljunied and Hougang residents CNA spoke to on Thursday, nine said they want the ban implemented, citing the safety of children and the elderly. Several residents also said that they have had near-miss incidents and witnessed reckless riding.

Residents living in Aljunied’s Kaki Bukit division, near a Bedok North food centre and McDonald’s outlet where PMD riders regularly hang out, said the ban should be implemented at their blocks and common areas.

“There are blind spots. Kids are running everywhere and they might get hit. It’s quite dangerous,” said technical manager Tan Yap Chong, 39.

Mr Tan, who was almost hit once by a speeding PMD while coming out of a lift, is now careful to always keep his six-year-old son close to him.

Retiree Goh Choon Thiang, 51, said he was involved in a similar near-miss incident at his lift lobby. “There might be pregnant women here,” he said. “If they are hit, who is going to answer?

“Although it’s very convenient to use PMDs to travel from point A to point B, you have to use it properly. Don’t cause harm to others because of your own convenience.”

Homemaker Jennifer Lee, 70, said she has seen PMDs speeding through sheltered walkways.

“I’ve seen a lot of old people with walking aids exercising near the void decks,” she added. “The ban should be implemented all over Singapore to cut down on these PMD incidents.”

While another resident who only wanted to be known as Shafie said he was supportive of the ban, he added that first-time offenders should preferably be let off with a warning, with food delivery riders given more leniency.

“If the rules are too tight, then they cannot work,” said the 36-year-old, who himself delivers food on a motorcycle. “But if the offenders are kids riding dangerously for fun, they should be punished. Those who are repeatedly reckless should be fined and have their devices confiscated.”

Retiree Jamaludin Mohd, however, said that not all food delivery riders are mindful, noting that they are usually “rushing against time”.

“Last time, PMDs were used to go from place to place,” the 70-year-old said, just as a rider who was on his mobile phone turned a blind corner.

“Now, it’s also used for food delivery. When it’s business, they ride fast (but) we shouldn’t have near-misses. We must eliminate this from happening. If not, prevent it.”

ENFORCEMENT ALSO NEEDED

Nevertheless, residents said the ban will only be effective if it is enforced.

Hougang resident Danny Sim, an engineer, said a ban “with no action taken is redundant”. “The ban should be implemented, but who is going to enforce?” the 35-year-old asked.

Mr Goh said there are so many cameras that authorities will not be able to monitor each and every location.

“They should depend on public reporting and law enforcement coming down to take a look,” he said.

Meanwhile, most of the residents acknowledged that reckless users made up only a small number of the PMD community.

Aljunied resident M Nishathini, 21, said she does not think PMDs should be banned at void decks as she believes most riders would ride safely in residential areas.

“When there are people, they will know to ride slow,” she added.

Engineer Aditya Krishna, 35, said he’s been involved in near-miss incidents “not at void decks, but at footpaths where it’s allowed”.

“So, it’s not about the location, but the rider and his behaviour.”

SINGAPORE: Three men were arrested for allegedly robbing a jewellery shop in Ang Mo Kio on Wednesday, police said on Friday (Aug 16).

The men – aged 27, 31 and 36 – were arrested within 36 hours following extensive investigations by various police units. The stolen jewellery, which include necklaces, bracelets and pendants, was recovered, said police.

Police said on Wednesday the robber had jumped over the counter at Hock Cheong Jade and Jewellery and grabbed jewellery worth about S$100,000 before fleeing the scene. No weapon was used and nobody was injured in the incident.

The male suspect was wearing a black helmet, blue jacket, a pair of black pants and was carrying a black bag, police added. 

The first suspect was arrested within 15 hours at Marsiling, while the other two were subsequently arrested in Woodlands and Whampoa West.

About 120 officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department, Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Bedok Police Division and Woodlands Police Division were involved in the investigations to establish the suspects’ identity and their subsequent arrests.

“This is a brazen robbery committed in broad daylight,” said Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Lian Ghim Hua, deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Department, who said the main robbery suspect “went to great lengths” to conceal his identity to evade detection and arrest.

“The suspects had displayed a blatant disregard of the law in Singapore. The police will spare no effort in pursuing such criminals and bring them to justice,” SAC Lian said.

The 27-year-old man will be charged on Friday afternoon, while the other two suspects will be charged on Saturday. They all face the charge of robbery with common intention. 

If convicted, they will each face a jail term of up to 10 years and at least six strokes of the cane. 

SINGAPORE: In the beginning, that funpack was a thrill for the thousands fortunate enough to get seats at the parade.  

It probably still provides a great deal of fun for many of the spectators at the event, especially the children.

And then what?

That’s a question that has bothered me increasingly since I was lucky enough to score tickets to the 2017 National Day Parade.

Disposing of my own funpack after the event was easy enough. A friend’s grandchildren were thrilled to share the spoils from that bag of delights.

But the thought of all that eventually making its way to an incinerator and then landfill was the pits. 

Literally. The pits of the Semakau Landfill which lies to the east of Pulau Semakau. That was created by 7km-long embankment that hemmed in a patch of sea off that island and Pulau Sakeng.  

The answer surely isn’t to chuck out the fun of the funpack.

This year’s packs represented a reduction of 1.7 million single-use items, according to Zero Waste Singapore, an NGO which had a hand in creating them. The focus was reusability.

So the very container is meant to be repurposed to hold emergency supplies. But even a cursory glance at its contents will find ready potential for further reductions.

WHAT TO THROW OUT FROM THIS YEAR’S FUNPACK

What was in this year’s funpack?

A 750ml sports water bottle with a drinking spout, bamboo drinking straws that can be used as clappers, sun visor, tissue pack, face tattoos, luggage tag, discount booklet, mozzie-repellent, a small bottle of hand sanitiser, souvenir magazine, an assortment of snack packs, and a small Singapore flag.

Let’s start at the packaging end of the 3Rs – Reduce, reuse recycle. Single-use packaging for snacks and other funpack contents has to be the first to go. Alternative compostable packaging has long been available. A thoughtful rethink and rework of the packaging in the funpack would make a super green start to National Day 2020.

Now, about that 750ml sports water bottle. With or without a drinking spout, is it safely reusable? For how long? And will people really re-use them? Ditch that and go for BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle).

If Singapore is serious about eliminating throwaway plastics, it’s time that we set up public water refill stations to encourage people to use their own bottles.

READ: The single-use coffee cup is generating a mountain of waste, a commentary

NDP 2020 organisers could station mobile refill stations at the parade venue so that we can BYOB and fill up while we wait. Even better, use the occasion to launch a national rollout of water refill stations.

I’d also chuck out visors and fans made of microfibre or other synthetics. It’s not only hard plastics that disintegrate into minuscule bits that end up in our food, our water, and ultimately, in us.

READ: What will it take for Singapore to give up plastic? A commentary

READ: Dear Singapore, a plastic future is not fantastic, a commentary

HOW ABOUT A BIODEGRADABLE SHOW PIECE?

In place of those, source palm leaf fans once ubiquitous in Singapore, which are still made and used in the region.  

It is undoubtedly quicker and hugely cheaper to order thousands of plastic visors and fans, but it is even easier to dump them. Yet more to feed the landfill.

But why palm leaf fans? Not only are they not plastic, and useful in the heat, they can also provide a performance element.

Say, if the fans are coloured red on one side, and white on the reverse, they can become part of a spectator warm-up event, choreographed to welcome arriving VIP guests during the daylight portion of the show.

INSTEAD OF A GLOSSY MAGAZINE, HOW ABOUT A BOOK OF SONGS?

As for the souvenir magazine, it will eventually end up trashed or worse, as litter, within hours or minutes of the party’s end. That wad of paper might be the most expendable part of the pack. It doesn’t have to be.

One does need to acknowledge sponsors and partners who put the parade together. But our overuse of paper is equal to or even greater than our profligate waste of plastic.

Instead, let’s turn this throwaway into a true souvenir that many will cherish as a keepsake. Transform it into a national song book, incorporating the requisite souvenir content. Back in 1986, I had suggested such a songbook, in a published commentary.

I was thrilled when Richard Tan, then head of psyschological defence spearheaded the production of an excellent one when he was with the then Ministry of Communications, Information and the Arts. 

Since then, our repertoire of national sentimentalia has vastly expanded, and been enhanced by a zillion wonderful video clips, mash-ups and audio clips online.

But no songbook.

And mine is hardly the only fading memory that could well use the support of a songbook.

This I realised on Aug 9 this year when my family enjoyed the parade on TV and some of us (names withheld to protect the guilty) sang along, fumbling and stumbling over the blanks in our memory of the lyrics.   

“You know,” mused my second sister, “sometimes people cannot even remember the words to Majulah Singapura”.

THROW OUT THE THROWAWAYS

So, let’s eliminate the throwaways from the funpacks, and add value to what we want for keeps. Like a national songbook, an enduring record of how Singapore has evolved.

And then there’s our flag.

For me, this brings to mind the 1988 parade and a five-year-old called Mark Poh, who rescued dozens of flags discarded after the parade. He was going to take them home, mend the damaged ones with tape and keep them. 

By all means keep the funpack, but cut back on other stuff if we must. But let’s not have single-use easy-rip flags of synthetic materials. Let’s go back to cotton – sustainably produced, if we can afford it – and with just the year printed on it.

It’s our flag. Our Singapore.

Irene Hoe is a writer, editor and coach and has been a journalist for many decades.

SINGAPORE: Four young Singaporeans were awarded the President’s Scholarship in a ceremony at the Istana on Thursday (Aug 15).

The recipients this year are Mr Muhammad Dhafer, Mr John Chua Je En, Mr Siow Mein Yeak, Yue and Midshipman Allison Tan Sue Min.

Mr Dhafer will pursue a liberal arts degree at Stanford University, an area of study the former Raffles Institution student believes will expose him to different fields.

“I hope to get an understanding of how data analytics and computer science can be used to improve public policy, and also to link that with areas of humanities, because I think this is a new area of public policy where we’re focusing on how technological changes will affect the way our government serves the people as well,” he said.

Serving the people is something Mr Dhafer has been doing since he was a teenager.

In secondary school, Mr Dhafer would volunteer on an ad-hoc basis. When he entered junior college, however, volunteering became a weekly undertaking for Mr Dhafer, who would tutor children at the Pertapis Children’s Home.

This, he said, was because he wanted to form a connection with the people he was helping.

“I think this is extremely important especially in community service work. Because you’re not only looking at one part of the problem, you’re looking at these people and being able to understand them is the core purpose of actually community service work. And I think that gives you a better understanding of who they are and what they value. And these are things that will help you to connect with them better,” he told CNA.

Similarly, fellow scholarship recipient Mr Chua is active in serving his community. 

His first exposure to service was in the Boys’ Brigade, but he later went on to start two programmes to teach underprivileged children science and creative writing.

The experience taught him to listen with empathy and understand the needs of the people he was serving, qualities which he said will help him in his future work as a public servant. 

“I think we as a public service, what we should do more is we should listen with empathy. We should inhabit the lived experiences of those that we’re serving. And we should meet their expressed needs according to what they want,” he said.

Mr Chua said that he hopes to major in either history or government when he reads liberal arts at Harvard University.

“I think the combination of these two disciplines allows me to develop complementary skillsets that will be useful for policymaking. Because history is a lot about the past, and government, a lot about the present. History is about being alive to detail and nuance, and government is very systems thinking. And history is a lot more qualitative, while government is quantitative. So I can see these skillsets being useful in policymaking,” he said.

When he graduates, he hopes to work in either the Ministry of Social and Family Development or the Manpower Ministry. 

Joining Mr Dhafer and Mr Chua in receiving a Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship is Mr Siow, who will be reading mechanical engineering at Imperial College London.

Mr Siow said that he finds fulfilment in ensuring that a designed product both works technically and fits the needs of the user. 

“Engineering is good training of the heart and mind,” he said of the discipline.

Meanwhile, Midshipman Tan, an SAF scholar, will read international relations in the United Kingdom and serve in the Singapore Armed Forces after graduation.

PUBLIC SERVICE “A COMPLETE DEDICATION TO THE PEOPLE AND NATION”

Speaking at the ceremony, President Halimah Yacob urged the awardees to think about how they can prepare themselves to contribute to the future public service.

“To enable the public service to be more open and receptive to the evolving needs of citizens; to help Singapore continue to forge stronger relationships with our allies amid uncertain times; to continue to be aware of the fault lines and actively promote inter-racial and cultural understanding; and to stay resolute in the face of our national challenges. Above all, how to ensure that we remain a progressive, contemporary and globalised city state but, at the same time, one that is inclusive, caring and compassionate where no one is left behind,” she said.

Mdm Halimah added that the President’s Scholarship is an honour and also a responsibility, and that President’s Scholars should be leaders and role models.

“Public service goes beyond doing a job well. It is a complete dedication to the people and nation. I hope you will bring Singapore forward by shaping a cohort of future public officers through your actions, inspiring them to lead by example, to be connected to the ground and the community; and to put the needs and interests of the nation and our citizens at the core.”

SINGAPORE: More than 50 companies have voluntarily raised the retirement and re-employment ages of their workers beyond the statutory requirements, said NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng on Thursday (Aug 15).

He has been urging employers here to do so and this is a “pretty decent” response, said the labour chief in an interview with CNA938, adding that workers have also been “very appreciative of these moves”.

NTUC said in July about 20 unionised companies had either raised the retirement age or did not stipulate a retirement age for its workers. These companies include the Gardens by the Bay, Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore and ComfortDelGro Group.

Mr Ng’s call to employers comes as a tripartite workgroup has been studying how far and how fast the retirement and re-employment ages should be raised beyond 62 and 67 respectively.

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said in March that representatives from the Government, employers and unions had reached a consensus on the need to raise the two ages. Set up last May, the workgroup has been looking at this issue and the impact of Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution rates on retirement adequacy of older workers, among other things.

An update will be announced by September, Mrs Teo has said.

READ: Tripartite workgroup sees need to raise retirement and re-employment ages

READ: Consensus to raise retirement, re-employment age ‘a significant milestone’: Josephine Teo

Nevertheless, Mr Ng, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, admitted that there has been some resistance from employers, with worries mainly surrounding costs.

Apart from wages, these costs can include the healthcare needs of older workers, such as insurance and medical leave.

Given how businesses are grappling with uncertainties in the external environment, on top of domestic cost pressures, these are “valid considerations”.

“I think they are not unfair in stating those concerns,” he said. 

“We will have to sit down, put our concerns and challenges on the table, and really think through these issues as tripartite partners.”

Productivity and the relevance of skillsets among older workers will be key for employers. 

Citing his conversations with some companies, Mr Ng said: “Most of my employers are fair people – I pay you X amount, you deliver that X amount of productivity and I won’t look at your age.”

To that, he stressed that workers will have to play their part as well. 

“We got to stay up to date with relevant skills (and) with added skills, hopefully, so that we can be productive. Age will not really be that much of a factor if you are skilful and you keep healthy.”

READ: NTUC urges employers to raise workers’ retirement age

Asked if the NTUC is also pushing for the restoration of CPF contribution rates for workers above 55 years old, Mr Ng replied: “We have been doing that for quite a while. We think this is a good re-think of our CPF … on how to plan for adequacy of retirement and so forth, I think it is a necessary thing to do.”

A recent report by the Institute of Policy Studies has called for the CPF contribution rates for older workers to be restored to the same levels as that of younger workers. If done so, it could help them save between S$31,000 and S$145,000 more by the time they retire, researchers said.

Currently, the overall CPF contribution rate is 37 per cent for workers up to 55 years old.

It drops progressively to 26 per cent for workers aged 55 to 60, 16.5 per cent for those aged 60 to 65, and 12.5 per cent for those above 65. 

When asked if such an increase is possible or if a middle ground could be reached, Mr Ng said that CPF contribution rates are a “sub-topic” for the tripartite work group and a formal report can be expected “sometime soon”.

READ: Coffee for 50 cents, company training committees among labour movement’s efforts to help workers

During the interview, Mr Ng was also asked about how the labour movement is helping companies and workers to cope with technological disruptions.

He said NTUC has been working with companies to set up training committees – a move that helps to “institutionalise the training aspects for the benefit of companies and workers”.

Mr Ng added that there are still companies that may not know what technology to deploy for their problems, neither do they know where to get these technology or how to start using them. 

Among workers, the fear remains that technology will displace and take away jobs. 

“Shifting their mindset is important,” said the labour chief. 

Among its objectives, the training committees will help companies and workers to start looking at technology “as a friend and an enabler”. 

NTUC has previously announced a target of 1,000 committees to be formed across all six industry transformation map groups over the next three years. This is set to benefit about 330,000 workers.

Watch the full interview: 

SINGAPORE: The son of a Singaporean man who went missing while kayaking in Malaysia on Thursday (Aug 15) urged authorities to maintain the search effort for his father.

Mr Jeremy Tan’s father, Tan Eng Soon, 62, went missing along with Singaporean Ms Puah Geok Tin, 57, last Thursday. 

The two were separated from their group while kayaking near the Endau islands.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Tan’s son thanked the authorities and urged local residents to keep a lookout for his father.

“So far up to this point, we are very grateful for all the help and support by the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), by the Malaysia maritime police department. We hope that in the coming days, they can continue to maintain the search effort as my father is still missing,” he said.

“We would also like to reach out to all the local fishermen or any of the locals who might be out at sea over the next few days. We ask that they please keep a lookout for him as well, because they have been instrumental in the search thus far,” he said.

READ: Missing Singaporean kayakers: Woman’s body found off Terengganu

His comments come a day after a woman’s body was found in waters off Kemaman, Terengganu by local fishermen.

Ms Puah’s family confirmed on Thursday that the body was Ms Puah’s and said that arrangements were being made to bring her remains back to Singapore.

“It is hard for us, but at the same time we are relieved that we could give her proper last respects,” her son, Mr Louis Pang, told reporters at Kemaman Hospital.

READ: More aircraft, rescuers deployed in search for Singaporean kayakers missing off Mersing, Johor

The kayak belonging to the two Singaporeans was found on Tuesday in Kuantan, about 80 nautical miles from where Mr Tan and Ms Puah were reported missing.

In addition to the kayak, other items found included Mr Tan’s passport, two purses with Malaysian and Singapore currency, a mobile phone, a bag of clothes, an identity card and a paddle, the agency said.

READ: Kayak belonging to missing Singaporeans found as search operations enter fifth day in Malaysia

On Thursday, Malaysian authorities extended the search area to Kerteh waters, combing a sector of almost 500 nautical square miles.

Thirty-two people are involved in the search and rescue operation, according to Haris Fadzillah Abdullah, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Mersing zone chief maritime commander.

“The SAR (search and rescue) operation began at 8am today with a strength of 32 personnel from various agencies, as the search area has been narrowed down and focused on the probability that the victims could be between where the kayaks were found off Kuantan waters and the location where the body of a female was found in Kuala Kemaman,” he said.

“Air assets are no more needed as the search is now focused on the 500 nautical square mile area.”