SINGAPORE: Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Monday (April 4) that the government will propose budget measures to help Singaporean households amid rising global prices.

In a ministerial statement to parliament on inflation and business costs, Mr Wong said he would move forward with budget measures where possible because of these pressures.

Mr Wong said the S$100 CDC voucher for each Singaporean household will be distributed in the middle of next month. This is on top of the S$100 paid in December last year and will help people cover their day-to-day expenses.

Mr Wong announced that the first Service and Administration Charge (S&CC) rebate and U-Save rebate will also be issued to eligible households this month.

The rest of the U-Save and S&CC rebates will be paid out over the next few quarters – July and October this year, and January next year.

Mr Wong pointed out that there are other forms of family help, including top-up of each Singaporean child’s Child Development Account, Education Savings Account or Post-Secondary Education Account, as well as access to Medisave top-ups in the form of cash and GST vouchers.

He said the government will continue to ensure that these payments are released to Singaporeans in a “timely manner”.

Help will also be extended to businesses, Mr Wong said.

He announced that the Small Business Recovery Grant will be released early, and most eligible businesses will be able to receive it by June.

The grant provides up to S$10,000 to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have been most affected by COVID-19 restrictions in the past year.

Help for low-income families
Mr Huang said there would also be more help for low-income households who were more affected during the price hike.

He said the Social Services Office (SSO) would support all new ComCare Short-Term Assistance (SMTA) clients who apply between this month and September this year for at least six months.

“Families already enrolled in the ComCare SMTA can also extend their assistance for at least three months if they need further assistance,” added Mr Wong.

“SSO will continue to be flexible in providing financial assistance and support to those in need. This includes providing additional cash assistance to ComCare recipients during this period to address inflationary pressures.”

Mr Huang said the government would also do more to help low-income groups pay for public transport.

Previously, it issued a public transit voucher (PTV) to every household that received a PTV at the previous event, including more than 30,000 ComCare beneficiaries.

Mr Wong said the government would make another round of payments for these ComCare recipients this month.

That means they will get S$60 in PTV, which will “roughly cover” the extra fare a family of four paid this year due to a fare hike last December.

In addition to these ComCare recipients, PTV is also available to all households with monthly income of up to S$1,600 per member. Applications for these vouchers are open from now until October 31.

Eligible families who have received the first coupon can also apply again if they need a second coupon.

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Mr Wong pointed out that the price increases over the past few months were not unique to Singapore, but occurred globally.

Mr Huang said that while it was initially hoped in early 2022 that global inflationary pressures would ease during the year, global inflation is now likely to persist for longer due to the war in Ukraine.

“Now, before we have a chance to survive the pandemic, we face another economic challenge. After years of relative price stability, the recent spike in inflation has understandably alarmed many,” he added.

“But from the global context and our own experience, I hope we can better understand why prices are rising and what we can do to combat it together.”

Responding to a question from MP Lim Wei Kit (PAP-Sembawang) who asked what the “threshold” for more help would be in a high inflation situation, Mr Wong said he could not provide a specific “trigger point”

“How high inflation has to go before we see more help…I can’t give a specific trigger point. Right now, as I said, we monitor a range of indicators. Not just a headline for economic growth , inflation, unemployment, for that matter, and how it affects different groups, different income groups, different occupations,” he said.

“And then, for that matter, what’s the impact of the package of measures that we haven’t implemented yet? We need to see those measures implemented properly and impact the economy as well.”

“So there are all these different considerations. That’s why we can’t distill it so simply into one key parameter. But the assurance we continue to provide is that we’ll be monitoring that very closely. If things get worse…. ..with the situation inside and outside of Singapore, we will definitely be ready to do more.”

He added that Budget 2022 help was on the horizon and the government stood ready to do so if the situation “worsened and more support was needed”.

“There are dark clouds on the horizon. But as always, we will get through this together as one united people.”

JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Department of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs of Malaysia has pledged to strengthen enforcement against operators selling RON95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles in the state.

Responding to CNA’s enquiries on Monday (April 4), the department’s director, Mohd Hairul Anuar Bohro, said his officers would continue to be deployed locally to ensure drivers and operators comply with regulations.

“Enforcement officers in the state … will continue to monitor and inspect to ensure that there is no illegal sale of regulated items, especially petrol and diesel, in Johor,” he said, adding that the operation involved about 200 people.

Mr Mohd Hairul Anuar added: “Severe action will be taken if a business commits offences relating to regulated goods under the Control of Supply Act 1961.”

Malaysia has banned the sale of RON95 petrol to foreign registered vehicles since August 1, 2010. RON95 provides subsidies for locals.

Foreign registered vehicles can be refueled with RON97 gasoline. The vehicles can also be refueled with diesel fuel, but only once a day, with a 20-litre limit at any petrol station within 25km of the Malaysia-Singapore land border.

Following the reopening of the land border between Johor and Singapore on April 1, a photo of an individual filling a Singapore-registered car with RON95 petrol at a kiosk in Johor Bahru went viral on social media.

Former prime minister Najib Razak, who shared the photo on his Facebook, wrote that allowing a foreign-registered car to top up the 40-litre RON95 would cost the government RM68 (S$21.90).

During the week of March 31 to April 6, RON95 will be sold at RM2.05 per litre, while RON97 will retail at RM3.91 per litre. Diesel is priced at RM2.15 per litre.

Mr Mohd Hairul Anuar told CNA that he knew the photo had gone viral on social media and that his department had taken “proactive and proactive actions” to monitor petrol stations, especially those located near the border.

“Based on our monitoring reports and inspections by law enforcement officers from station to station, it is clear that there is no reported illegal activity and that gasoline is being sold satisfactorily,” he added.

A banner reading “Welcome Back to Malaysia” was erected at a Gemini gas station in Johor Bahru. (Photo: CNA/Amir Yusof)
CNA visited four petrol stations in Johor Bahru, near the Woodlands Causeway, on Monday afternoon and observed that no Singapore-registered cars were refueling with RON95 petrol.

At a Shell petrol station along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, a petrol station attendant was seen walking around the petrol station to ensure drivers with foreign-registered cars were not buying RON95s.

“Only a few need me to remind them, but most drivers are aware of the law,” said the Shell employee, who declined to be named.

A sign reminding foreign registered car owners about the laws of filling up at petrol stations in Malaysia. (Photo: CNA/Amir Yusof)
At Petronas petrol stations in Jalan Yahya Awal, each petrol station has a slogan outlining that the purchase of RON95 petrol by foreign-registered vehicles is “strictly prohibited”.

On Sunday afternoon, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi warned that petrol station operators caught selling subsidised RON95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles could be fined up to $200. A fine of RM643,000 (S$643,000).

In a statement, the minister also ordered all state sector offices that border Singapore and Thailand to “intensify monitoring and inspections and take stern action against any party that violates the law”.

Under the Supply Control Act 1961 and the Supply Control Regulations 1974, if convicted, individuals can be fined up to RM1 million or jailed for three years, or both, while entities and companies can be fined up to RM2 million.

SINGAPORE: Singapore factory activity expanded for the 21st consecutive month in March, but at a slower pace than the previous month.

According to data released by the Singapore Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management (SIPMM) on Monday (April 4), the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 50.1 from 50.2.

A PMI reading above 50 indicates an overall expansion in the manufacturing economy, while a number below that threshold points to a contraction.

The latest data was attributed to a slower expansion in the new orders index and factory output index, as well as a faster contraction in the inventory index.

However, the institute said the index of new exports and employment expanded at a faster pace.

Imports, input prices and order backlog indices also expanded at a faster pace. But the supplier delivery index showed a slower pace of expansion.

“Amid rising cost pressures, the input price index recorded its highest reading of 51.9 since October 2013, when it stood at 53.0,” SIPMM said.

Sophia Poh, vice president of industry engagement and development at SIPMM, said the overall manufacturing sector ended the first quarter with slower growth amid a slowdown in the electronics industry.

“The ongoing conflict in Russia and Ukraine has clouded the outlook for manufacturing, with heightened concerns about rising energy costs and supply disruptions, as well as rising inflationary pressures,” she said.

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In March, the electronics industry PMI fell 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, and the growth rate slowed to 50.4, marking the 20th consecutive month of expansion for the industry.

“The latest industry data is attributed to the first contraction in the factory output index and a faster contraction in the inventory index,” SIPMM said.

However, it added that the index of new orders, new exports and employment expanded at a faster pace.

Imports, input prices and order backlog indices also recorded faster expansion rates.

“The supplier deliveries index has returned to contraction and the finished goods index has contracted at a faster pace,” SIPMM said.

SINGAPORE: Parliament on Monday (April 4) passed a bill that makes a series of changes to Singapore’s extradition law, including how to determine whether a crime would make someone liable for extradition.

Edwin Tong, the second minister of the Ministry of Law, said the changes were a “comprehensive update” of the existing law, taking into account developments in international practice, adding that the Extradition Law had remained “basically unchanged” since its introduction in 1968.

“Through these amendments, Singapore will enhance its crime-fighting capabilities through international cooperation,” he added.

What changes?
The law will now take a “threshold approach” to determine whether an offence is extraditable.

Under this approach, extradition is possible if an offence results in a maximum penalty of more than two years in prison, with the exception of certain excluded offences.

This replaces the previous “list approach” in which normally only the offences listed in the first schedule of the Act are extraditable.

“We do not expect this amendment to lead to an unreasonable increase in the number of extradition requests received,” Mr Tong added, noting that in the past, extradition partners have only made requests for “relatively serious crimes”.

There are also now more restrictions on the surrender of requested fugitives, such as where a fugitive has only a short term left – usually considered less than six months.

Another limitation is when fugitives cannot be prosecuted in other jurisdictions, because of the statute of limitations, which means the time frame within which legal action can be brought.

In addition, fugitives will be able to agree to their extradition and waive the extradition process.

“This saves national resources and prevents fugitives from being detained in Singapore for longer than necessary as a full extradition hearing is not required,” Mr Tang said.

Clarification from MPs
Four MPs stood up to speak on the bill, asking for clarifications on technology and procedures, among other things.

Mr Murali Pillai (People’s Action Party – Bukit Batok) stated that magistrates can issue writs for the arrest of fugitives through the authority of the minister or by applying directly to the magistrates.

But he questioned why magistrates should still be given the power to issue the warrant independently.

In response, Mr Tong said the power of provisional arrest was reserved in emergency situations where the fugitive was “considered a flight risk” and the requesting country did not have enough time to prepare a full extradition request.

“This enables Singapore to meet our obligations under the treaty,” Mr Tang said. But he added that after that, a full extradition request must still be properly submitted.

MP Sylvia Lim (WP-Aljunied) also asked if the bill was a signal that the government was “changing its traditional and somewhat cautious approach” to entering extradition treaties.

Noting that extradition regulations from non-Commonwealth countries were approaching those of Commonwealth countries, she asked whether Singapore would be interested in entering into more extradition treaties, including those with non-Commonwealth countries.

Mr Tong responded that the government’s approach had not changed.

“We’ve always wanted to see countries that share a desire to work with us, to strengthen international cooperation in apprehending criminals, and to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against crime.

“If these arrangements are deemed mutually beneficial and useful to us, and we can overcome any issues related to differences in our respective legal systems, then we will be prepared to enter into treaties or arrangements with them.”