Election season is upon us and the time to vote is near. But as Polling Day approaches, you may ask yourself, what exactly am I voting for when I cast my vote? And how much does my one vote really matter?
Contrary to what you may think, much is at stake when you cast your vote.
You are voting for your MP
When you vote on Polling Day, you are voting for someone who will represent your constituency as a Member of Parliament (MP).
Your MP essentially acts as a bridge between your community and the Government, and is supposed to ensure that your concerns are heard in Parliament.
On the ground level (one that is more applicable to your daily life), MPs hold weekly Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS), where you can raise any issues that you have in a one-on-one meeting with them. These could be utility bill payments, HDB apartments or reduction of traffic fines.
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) unveiled its first batch of four candidates on Sunday and Monday (Jun 29) for the upcoming General Election.
They are: Businessman Alfred Tan, marketing communications professional Min Cheong, political scientist Dr James Gomez and entrepreneur Robin Low.
The party will field a total of 11 candidates in the four-member Group Representation Constituencies (GRC) of Holland-Bukit Timah and Marsiling-Yew Tee and the Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) of Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang and Yuhua.
To date, only the party’s secretary-general, Dr Chee Soon Juan, has confirmed where he would be standing in the Jul 10 election; Dr Chee will contest in Bukit Batok, the SMC where he lost in a by-election in 2016.
Ms Cheong and Mr Tan have been walking the ground in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, while Dr Gomez has been seen in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.
ALFRED TAN
Businessman Alfred Tan is one of 11 candidates the Singapore Democratic Party will be fielding in GE2020. (Photo: SDP)
Alfred Tan is a businessman and entrepreneur with years of international banking, corporate finance and business management experience in the region.
An alumnus of Anglo-Chinese School, Mr Tan is married with two adult daughters and holds a Bachelor of Science from the National University of Singapore. He also has an MBA from the University of Birmingham.
One of four children, he grew up in Toa Payoh and started volunteering with various communities since his youth. He has since served on committees and boards of various community and non-profit organisations.
In a video introducing his candidature, Mr Tan said that he believed that the benefits of a vibrant and enterprising economy must be aligned and directed to the benefit and well-being of society and the individuals in it.
“As a Member of Parliament of your constituency, I will represent your collective desire and values, whether it involves your lives and society, or whether it involves your labour and opportunities in your careers enterprises and ventures,” he said.
MIN CHEONG
Marketing communications professional Min Cheong is one of 11 candidates the Singapore Democratic Party will be fielding in GE2020. (Photo: SDP)
Marketing communications professional Min Cheong started her SDP journey in 2011 in the policy studies unit and was a counting agent for the party in the 2011 and 2015 General Election. She is now a member of the SDP’s Young Democrats, Women Democrats, and Communications teams.
She grew up in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, and started volunteer work in her youth at South East Community Development Council as a Youth Mentor. She was also the global media coordinator for Road to Rio+20, the youth movement associated with the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
She holds a Diploma in Mass Communication from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and is an avid practitioner of Krav Maga, training with the local chapter of the International Federation of Krav Maga.
She is an only child.
In a video introduction on SDP’s Facebook page, Ms Cheong said that she was a firm believer in open public discourse.
She said: “It’s my hope that we will nurture a real appetite and aptitude for critical thinking and meaningful debate, empathy, as well as an unwavering desire to fight the good fight for people who need support alongside causes worth championing.”
She added that she was passionate about what she called “workforce wellness”, an overarching approach to reforming how people in Singapore live and work – covering issues ranging from socioeconomic sustainability, job creation and innovation, career empowerment, organisational culture and personal well-being.
JAMES GOMEZ
Political scientist James Gomez is one of 11 candidates the Singapore Democratic Party will be fielding in GE2020. (Photo: SDP)
Dr James Gomez is a political scientist with more than 25 years of global experience working for international non-governmental organisations, inter-governmental organisations, public and private universities, research institutes and think-tanks.
Dr Gomez joined the SDP in 2010 and contested as an SDP candidate in the 2011 General Election in the then Sembawang GRC. He has been active in SDP’s policy unit and has contributed to its policy papers and discussion forums.
He holds a doctorate in International Relations and Politics from Monash University, a Master of Arts in Politics and Human Rights from University of Essex, and a Bachelor in Social Sciences (Hons) in Political Science from National University of Singapore.
Dr Gomez has served as associate dean, professor and head of school, programme director, head of department at various tertiary institutions including Monash University in Melbourne, Beijing Normal University, Hong Kong Baptist University, Thammasat University, Bangkok University and Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Presently, Dr Gomez is regional director of Asia Centre, a think-tank based in Thailand and Malaysia. He is married with no children.
In a video on his candidacy, he said that what affects Singaporeans most are concerns over the rising cost of living, population density, healthcare and housing affordability, poverty and inequality, and a “weak social security and pension system”.
“That’s why I decided to contest this elections, with the SDP to be your voice, and to voice your concerns, and take steps to address these issues,” he said.
ROBIN LOW
Entrepreneur Robin Low is one of 11 candidates the Singapore Democratic Party will be fielding in GE2020. (Photo: SDP)
Robin Low is an entrepreneur who has started several businesses such as Greenyarn, Racing Genesis, Digital Media Academy and Super Brands.
He got involved in community work primarily through Relief 2.0, an NGO that he co-founded. Its mission is to promote efficient disaster response and sustainable disaster recovery.
Robin also worked with the Industrial & Services Co-Operative Society Ltd (ISCOS) in helping ex-prisoners to learn how to code and find a new start in programming jobs.
Mr Low works with various organisations in the United Nations and engages with Syrian refugees, Rohingya and other communities to enable and empower them to solve problems.
He is an alumnus of St Andrew’s School, Nanyang Junior College and the National University of Singapore.
In a video on his candidacy he said he has been involved in relief efforts following major disasters.
“I worked with various refugees, and my experience has taught me that everyone has ideas and aspirations. I enjoy working with communities on solutions, because I believe that communities hold solutions for the problems we face,” he added.
In a Facebook post yesterday (June 28), People’s Action Party’s GE2020 candidate Shawn Huang addressed a woman’s claim of how he turned away food offered to him and threw it on the table.
Later that same day, State News Singapore alleged in a Facebook post that Huang “took vengeance against his critic”, who was “forced by her Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) superiors to take down her post”.
The post further claimed that the woman, who was an SAF officer, is facing disciplinary actions for her criticisms against Huang and was “internally-POFMAed”.
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) clarified today the “assertions in the article are patently false” as the woman in question had left the SAF more than a year ago.
SINGAPORE: With the Jul 10 General Election approaching, political parties have started to stake their claims on the 93 seats up for contest this year, with some indicating who they plan to field in specific constituencies.
A key stage in the process is Nomination Day – which will see possible candidates submitting their nomination papers in the hope of becoming confirmed candidates.
The action will take place on Tuesday (Jun 30) at nine nomination centres, with the list of confirmed candidates set to come at around lunchtime.
Here are five constituencies to keep an eye on:
ALJUNIED GRC
The Workers’ Party (WP) saw a historic win in the five-member Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the 2011 General Election.
The same WP team – Mr Pritam Singh, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Low Thia Kiang, Mr Chen Show Mao and Mr Faisal Manap – retained their seats in the 2015 General Election but with a smaller margin, winning 50.95 per cent of the vote.
With the WP and the People’s Action Party (PAP) set to go head to head again in Aljunied this year, the contest will be one to watch.
The Workers’ Party’s Sylvia Lim, Leon Perera, Pritam Singh, Gerald Giam and Faisal Manap are seen here during a walkabout on Jun 27, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
The WP’s team, made up of Mr Singh, Ms Lim, Mr Faisal and former Non-Constituency Members of Parliament Mr Leon Perera and Mr Gerald Giam will go up against the PAP, with Mr Low and Mr Chen vacating their seats for younger members of the party.
The PAP has yet to officially announce its Aljunied line-up. According to the constituency’s website, the ruling party’s team will include three familiar faces who contested the five-member GRC in the 2015 General Election – Mr Shamsul Kamar, Mr Victor Lye and Mr Chua Eng Leong.
Two new faces – lawyer Alex Yeo and marketing director Chan Hui Yuh – will join them.
The WP contested East Coast GRC in the past three General Elections, and is set to do so again this year. Former Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say and former three-term MP Lee Yi Shyan are likely to step down, setting a fresh PAP team up for a fierce battle with WP.
East Coast is seen as a traditional battleground between the PAP and the WP, which usually fields a strong team there.
(From left) Lee Yi Shyan, Maliki Osman, Jessica Tan and Lim Swee Say of the People’s Action Party.
With Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean floated as a possible replacement for Mr Lim, experts predict that the PAP will also send a strong team to East Coast. Party insiders say the names of candidates are being kept tightly under wraps.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has also been seen walking the grounds in East Coast, and experts have said he could helm the GRC with a completely new team.
In 2015, PAP’s East Coast team – Mr Lim, Mr Lee, Senior Minister of State Maliki Osman and Ms Jessica Tan – held on to their seats with 60.73 per cent of the vote, but the WP’s East Coast representatives were among the party’s best losers.
Mr Singh announced on Thursday that WP would contest the four-member GRC, but has not shared which candidates will be fielded there. His announcement that Ms Lim and himself will stand in Aljunied GRC shut down rumours that WP would be sending one of them to stand in East Coast.
All eyes are on who will lead WP’s East Coast team this year and the party will probably reveal this only on Nomination Day. Prominent familiar face Nicole Seah was introduced as a WP candidate on Thursday and she has been seen walking the ground in the constituency.
WEST COAST GRC
With former presidential candidate hopeful Dr Tan Cheng Bock set to lead the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in the West Coast GRC, the PAP stronghold may see a fierce fight.
Lee Hsien Yang (centre) and Tan Cheng Bock (right) of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) have their breakfast before a walkabout ahead of the general election in Singapore June 28, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su)
Dr Tan was MP for Ayer Rajah for 26 years when he was with the PAP. The ward is now part of West Coast GRC.
He believes that his strong roots in the area, from his time serving as an MP and a medical doctor, will help PSP gain an advantage in the contest. Dr Tan also contested in the Presidential Election in 2011, where he lost marginally to Dr Tony Tan.
PSP announced on Friday morning that it will field assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Nadarajah Loganathan and Mr Jeffrey Khoe alongside Dr Tan in West Coast.
But with Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, joining the PSP, there has been speculations that the younger Mr Lee could be deployed either in West Coast or other constituencies as a surprise candidate on the morning of Nomination Day.
West Coast GRC has traditionally been a PAP stronghold since it was formed in 1997. When Singapore went to the polls in 2015, PAP won 78.57 per cent of the vote against the Reform Party (RP).
The four-member PAP team, which comprised of Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran, Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Ms Foo Mee Har and Mr Patrick Tay, was among the best performing PAP teams in the 2015 General Election.
POTONG PASIR SMC
In Potong Pasir, Singapore People’s Party (SPP) chairman Jose Raymond will try to wrest the single-seat back from the incumbent PAP.
SPP’s chairman Jose Raymond will be fielded in Potong Pasir in the 2020 General Election. (Photo: Facebook/Jose Raymond)
This will be Mr Raymond’s first General Election, and it remains to be seen if Potong Pasir residents who are loyal to Mr Chiam See Tong will support him.
Mr Chiam represented Potong Pasir from 1984 to 2011 under different party colours – making him Singapore’s longest-serving opposition MP. Mr Raymond succeeded Mrs Lina Chiam as SPP chairman in November last year.
PAP incumbent Sitoh Yih Pin is likely to put up a fight, having represented Potong Pasir since the 2011 General Election, when he edged out Mrs Chiam by just 114 votes. He won again in 2015, this time with a larger margin.
BUKIT BATOK SMC
The Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) Dr Chee Soon Juan will contest the single-seat in Bukit Batok.
He stood against PAP incumbent Murali Pillai during the 2016 by-election, and garnered 38.8 per cent of the vote.
Singapore Democratic Party secretary-general Chee Soon Juan on a walkabout at Bukit Batok on Jun 28, 2020. (Photo: Ruth Smalley)
The two are likely to go up against each other again this year.
Dr Chee has a long history as an opposition candidate. He started his political career in the SDP in 1992, under then secretary-general Mr Chiam.
He was not eligible to contest in the 2011 General Election due to an undischarged bankruptcy and was formally discharged from bankruptcy in November 2012.
In 2015, Dr Chee led SDP’s Holland-Bukit Timah team to the polls but was unsuccessful in swaying voters, garnering just 33.4 per cent of the vote.
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will gradually resume overseas exercises, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said, noting that an extended suspension of more than two years will impact its capabilities.
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) will in July send a frigate to Hawaii for Exercise RIMPAC, which will involve 24 ships from 11 nations, he said. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is also working with its Australian counterparts to resume short-term overseas flying training detachments.
Overseas exercises are crucial to the SAF as they enable troops and platforms to train realistically and conduct live-firing in a much larger space and on challenging terrain.
An RSAF A330 multi-role tanker transport refuelling an F-16 during Exercise Forging Sabre in US. (Photo: MINDEF)
On May 12, the SAF announced that because of the COVID-19 pandemic it would suspend all large-scale overseas exercises, including Exercise Wallaby in Australia, which is its largest overseas training exercises.
The SAF also cancelled a number of overseas exercises, including officer cadet training in Brunei and part of an armoured platform exercise in Germany.
“We have been very clear that you cannot do what you have done before,” Dr Ng told reporters on Thursday (Jun 25) in an interview ahead of SAF Day.
“We cancelled some overseas exercises, and that is because the host country also had safety measures and were not comfortable receiving overseas troops.”
Dr Ng said the SAF replaced the suspended overseas training with simulation or live training in Singapore, although he acknowledged “it is never as real as the actual live-firing”.
The Air Force’s CH-47 Chinook helicopters performing an underslung operation during Exercise Wallaby in Australia. (Photo: MINDEF)
In late May and June, the Republic of Singapore Navy participated in separate passage exercises with the US and Japanese navies, ahead of the larger Exercise RIMPAC in July, which will involve more complex warfighting and live firing practice.
Passage exercises are done between allied navies to ensure they can communicate and cooperate during war or peacetime operations. This includes conducting flashing light or physical signal drills.
An RSN frigate conducing replenishment at sea to refuel with an oiler from the US Navy during Exercise RIMPAC. (Photo: MINDEF)
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said more overseas training will resume on a case-by-case basis, especially exercises that do not involve physical disembarkation and interaction.
The minister said the successful and safe resumption of smaller overseas exercises will give the SAF confidence that it can conduct larger ones across its three services.
At Exercise RIMPAC, for instance, crew aboard RSN’s RSS Supreme frigate will not disembark the ship when going to or returning from the exercise. The exercise will be conducted entirely at sea with no physical interaction between participants.
RSN personnel conducting complex multi-dimensional warfare serials from the frigate’s combat information centre during Exercise RIMPAC. (Photo: MINDEF)
Dr Ng said the ship will also have reconfigured cabins for isolation bays that have a separate ventilation system. The ships will also have COVID-19 test kits and medical teams to care for patients in “worst-case scenarios”.
“They needed to do that because if, for instance, you had to conduct a real operations against, let us say, a terrorist incident and you have to be out at sea, you need those capabilities,” he said.
“You cannot say a ship that has been attacked by terrorists, held hostage, and you are out there, but I stand down because of COVID-19.”
OVERSEAS TRAINING DISRUPTION IMPACT
The good news is construction on SAF’s overseas training areas in Guam and Australia are progressing as planned, Dr Ng said.
The setting up of an RSAF Fighter Training Detachment at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam is expected to be completed by 2029. The expanded Shoalwater Bay Training Area and new Greenvale Training area in Australia is expected to be ready by 2024 and 2028 respectively.
An SAF Light Strike Vehicle participating in Exercise Wallaby at SWBTA. (Photo: MINDEF)
Dr Ng said a disruption of six to nine months of overseas training will not affect operational readiness as units can still conduct training in smaller, separate groups while continuing critical operations.
“But if these disruptions last two to three years, will there be impact? The honest answer by all ministries of defence or militaries is they will say invariably there will be some impact,” he added. “And you have to find other ways to accommodate that.”
ONE COVID-19 CASE IN CRITICAL OPERATIONAL UNITS
Nevertheless, Dr Ng praised the SAF for being able to continue with critical operations, including protection of key installations, air defence and counterterrorism, throughout the pandemic, with only one COVID-19 infection so far.
“I want to congratulate them because for all these months, thousands of people on duty, we only have one infection,” he revealed. “We basically maintained clean units and they kept Singapore safe because of how they conducted the operations.”
File photo of an RSAF F-15SG (Photo: Loke Kok Fai)
Dr Ng did not give more details on the case, but said these soldiers are “bound to have exposure to infected patients”.
“Remember that we draw our soldiers from the population, so if u have 50 infections in population, it’s not as if the SAF men and women are separated from their families every day for the last three months,” he said.
SAF and SPF personnel conducting island defence training. (Photo: MINDEF)
Servicemen performing critical functions are cohorted and required to stay in camp before and during their operational duty to reduce the risk of infection. This means that some have lived on base for weeks on end.
“If you just calculated the incidence rates, one out of a few hundred thousand SAF troops operating, it is very, very difficult to achieve,” Dr Ng added. “And I am proud that our men and women have achieved it. That is because of extreme vigilance as well as sacrifices.”
The Island Defence Task Force’s unmanned watch tower is 6m tall. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
MINDEF said SAF’s Island Defence Task Force, which works with Home Team agencies for homeland security, will set up a new Island Defence Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence (C4I) Surveillance and Reconnaissance battalion by the end of this year.
Through the unmanned watch tower, threats that cross into a restricted zone are automatically detected, triggering an audio alert. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
The battalion will manage a new command and control information system that allows the task force to cooperate better with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other public agencies, improving integrated planning, sense making and coordinated responses.
The battalion will also be equipped with sensors and data analytic systems to support the the task force’s intelligence and operational needs.
NEW NORMAL IN SAF
Dr Ng said the SAF is also prepared to help the nation fight COVID-19 in the long run, as he warned it would be “very short-sighted thinking” to say there would not be a second or third wave of infections in Singapore and elsewhere.
“If you do not deal with the COVID-19 epidemic locally and it gets out of hand, it overwhelms the national healthcare system, and that in itself affects security,” he said.
Patients consulting the roving medical team at the community recovery facility at Tanjong Gul for minor ailments such as headaches. (Photo: MINDEF)
The SAF has helped distribute masks, converted camps into patient facilities and contributed to swabbing operations in migrant worker dormitories. It has also taken strict safe distancing, cohorting and hygiene measures within its own ranks
“Is it sustainable? What is the new normal? It is what it is,” Dr Ng said. “All militaries will have to grapple with it. I think that our successes have given us confidence that we can control it.”
The National Service Review Committee, which looks at better matching of skills to vocations and using technology for operationally-ready NS activities, could also explore conducting some in-camp training activities remotely while in camp, he said.
Dr Ng said the committee will start giving recommendations in the fourth quarter of this year. The last large review completed in 2013 led to an increase in financial incentives and extension of the individual physical proficiency test window.
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel packs face mask for distribution to the public at SAFTI Military Institute in Jurong on Jan 31. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
The minister said the new normal of taking precautions in a post-COVID-19 world can be sustainable if the “entire population” understands it.
“It is sustainable if we continue to be disciplined because we have to open up our economy,” he added. “I think we have to find the wherewithal, the ways and means, but it can be done.”
Her initial post was removed almost as abruptly as it was uploaded.
But the confirmation came three hours later: Lee Bee Wah announced her retirement from politics on Monday (June 29), joining ESM Goh Chok Tong, Khaw Boon Wan, Yaacob Ibrahim and other veteran politicians who have also stepped down following the dissolution of Parliament.
“The candidates for Nee Soon GRC have been announced,” she wrote in the Facebook post re-uploaded this afternoon. “I am not running this term and am retiring from politics.”
SINGAPORE: The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the delivery of Singapore’s first of four new submarines, although the plan to get an initial four F-35 fighter jets in 2026 remains on track, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Jun 25) in conjunction with Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day, Dr Ng said the first German-made Invincible-class submarine will now be delivered in 2022 instead of 2021.
Dr Ng said the pandemic has affected manpower and supply chains globally and in Germany, but that the delay will not affect SAF operationally as it still operates an existing fleet of submarines.
The Invincible-class submarines, custom-made to operate in Singapore’s shallow and busy waters, will replace the ageing Archer-class and Challenger-class submarines. These second-hand vessels were made in Sweden.
Dr Ng said the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) new helicopters will also be delayed. The CH-47F heavy lift and H225M medium lift helicopters will now be delivered from 2021 instead of 2020, he said.
Boeing’s CH-47F and Airbus’ H225M helicopters can carry more, fly farther and require less manpower. They will replace the current Chinook and Super Puma helicopters, respectively.
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the construction of SAFTI City was suspended during the “circuit breaker” and will be delayed by six to nine months, with expected completion pushed from 2023 to 2024.
SAFTI City, the size of 100 football fields, will use technology and have realistic buildings for homeland security and urban operations training.
F-35B
However, the RSAF’s premier acquisition of four F-35B fighter jets, with the option of buying eight more, remains on schedule, Dr Ng said. These fifth-generation stealth fighters can take off from shorter runways and land vertically, making them suitable for land-scarce Singapore.
Dr Ng said the package includes the “whole gamut” of training, maintenance and sustainability, adding that RSAF’s pilots will first train on the jets in continental US.
“So far the acquisition seems to be moving along, and the US agencies have been quite responsive, so we want to thank them for that,” he added.
The Republic of Singapore Navy’s multi-role combat vessel. (Graphic: MINDEF)
Also on track is the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) new multi-role combat vessel (MRCV), which will replace its missile corvettes, which will hit the end of operational life in 2025. Dr Ng revealed that six MRCVs will be delivered by 2030.
The MRCV has been touted as a mothership that will work in tandem with unmanned drones and vessels to see further and respond quicker, although Dr Ng said he did not have more details to share for now.
“But when it’s due, there are exciting concepts,” he said, adding that the RSN has learnt from its missile corvette and frigate programmes. “It has given us the confidence to actually try even very new ideas and those are coming to shape as we discuss them with our defence vendors.”
While Dr Ng acknowledged that MINDEF and SAF will cut costs where possible amid COVID-19 strains on the economy, he said this will be done without compromising critical operations as well as medium- and long-term capabilities.
The F-35B showing its hovering capability. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
When asked if economic pressures will affect the plan to buy up to 12 F-35Bs, Dr Ng said the Government and the people have been strong supporters who ensure “consistent resourcing” for Singapore’s defence needs.
Dr Ng said it is also more cost-effective to be consistent in spending on medium- and long-term acquisitions. “I hope we will continue to have that strong support,” he added. “But on strategic capabilities, I believe that we will not compromise on those acquisitions.”
MARITIME SECURITY TASK FORCE
Dr Ng also gave updates on the restructuring of RSN’s Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF), first announced during MINDEF’s Committee of Supply debate speech in March.
The MSTF, which works with other SAF task forces, national agencies and international partners, will be restructured to better respond to the increasing maritime security threat in the Singapore Strait, Dr Ng had said then. This includes adding new purpose-built ships and refurbishing existing patrol vessels.
RSS Independence (left) watching over a Malaysian government vessel in Singapore waters off Tuas. (Photo: MINDEF)
“Recently there was an uptick in piracy and sea robberies, now more on the eastern side and an expanded spectrum of threats that the RSN had to deal with,” he said.
Crew in RSN’s littoral mission vessel. (Photo: MINDEF)
Data from a maritime information sharing centre showed that sea robbers boarded ships sailing through the Singapore Strait in 12 incidents from January to April. This is a three-fold increase from the four incidents in the same period last year.
MINDEF said the RSN will add new purpose-built vessels, auxiliary vessels and boarding teams, and in the interim, operate four refurbished patrol vessels equipped less-lethal capabilities to provide more calibrated options against a range of threats. The latter will be operational in the next few months.
Naval divers conducting a maritime counter-terrorism drill. (Photo: MINDEF)
Dr Ng gave some idea of what the new ships will be like, stating that the RSN’s current ships are configured in a way that sometimes trades off between speed, weight and firepower.
“But if you have to chase a faster boat, you have to find some means and so on and so forth,” he said. “You may even have (an) unmanned system.”
An Accompanying Sea Security Team member training for ship boarding operations. (Photo: MINDEF)
MINDEF said the restructured MSTF will have two operational groups to oversee the control and execution of maritime security operations: the Sea Security Group and the Force Protection Group.
The Sea Security Group is responsible for maritime security operations in waters around Singapore. This includes daily patrols, boarding and escort operations in the Singapore Strait and surveillance over waters. In the event of a maritime incident, it will coordinate operations with other national agencies.
The Force Protection Group defends against seaward threats and is responsible for defending and enforcing security at naval bases and installations. In the event of a sea intrusion, it will deploy a “quick reaction force” to protect Singapore’s waters against intrusion and other maritime threats.
MARITIME SECURITY COMMAND
MINDEF also announced that it will restructure the RSN’s Maritime Security (MARSEC) Command, which builds up, trains and maintains the capabilities of RSN platforms deployed primarily for maritime security operations.
The RSN’s unmanned service vessel. (Photo: MINDEF)
The MARSEC Command will be reorganised into three flotillas.
The 2nd Flotilla maintains the operational readiness of Littoral Mission Vessels and its crew. The 6th Flotilla leads the development of unmanned surface and underwater vessels to counter mines and defend the coast. The 9th Flotilla trains and deploys security troopers, sea soldiers and system operators.
6th Flotilla commander Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Chng Tong Wong said it is developing guidelines for the operations of unmanned vessels in Singapore waters.
“Unmanned vessels will increase operational capabilities, improve manpower capabilities and more importantly, enhance our operational safety,” he said.
GE2020 may not be the first rodeo for the Workers’ Party’s (WP) He Ting Ru and Terence Tan but it will certainly be one for the books — their family history books, that is.
After all, this election will be their first as a married couple and parents.
The decision for them to both contest in the upcoming election was not made lightly, He revealed at WP’s virtual press conference yesterday (June 28), citing “many, many concerns” from her loved ones.
“When [WP leaders] Pritam (Singh) and Sylvia (Lim) asked us to consider, we thought very hard about it,” the 37-year-old said. “Honestly it’s not easy but it’s something we felt was right for us to do.”
She explained they both believe the country needs more and stronger alternative voices.
He and Tan, 48, who have two sons aged two and three, were both part of the WP team contesting Marine Parade GRC in 2015 along with Firuz Khan, Dylan Foo and Yee Jenn Jong.
They tied the knot in January 2016, according to a Lianhe Wanbao report.
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) vice-chairman John Tan has lodged a report to the Elections Department (ELD) after finding out that the People’s Action Party (PAP) flags are already being displayed in public.
According to ELD’s candidate handbook for GE2020, candidates can start displaying the party’s posters, banners and flags during the campaign period, which only commences from the close of nomination on Nomination Day and ends on Cooling-off Day.
Though Nomination Day is on June 30, PAP flags were spotted on Friday (June 26) by SDP Vice-Chairman John Tan, who has since written in to ELD.
In a picture posted on the SDP Facebook page, six upright flags can be seen tied to some bollards along Marine Crescent. The flags were placed right in front of the Marine Crescent Gardens HDB estate, which is in the Marine Parade GRC.
SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) on Monday (Jun 29) launched its 2020 General Election manifesto, which among other goals aims to ensure that Singaporeans enjoy the fruits of the country’s economic growth.
The 13-page manifesto, which also saw the unveiling of the party’s campaign slogan “You Deserve Better”, is divided into three sections: Economic development, social development and political development, all looking at how the PSP can build an “alternative vision” for Singapore.
It was presented by the party’s vice-chairman Hazel Poa at an online press conference. Also present were other PSP members including the party’s secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock and assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai.
The PSP has taken a “hybrid approach” to set out its broad guiding principles in various areas before highlighting selected policies, Ms Poa explained.
When it comes to economic development, she pointed out that the “economy must serve Singaporeans, rather than the other way around”.
“The whole purpose of economic growth must be to improve the lives of the people, and it shouldn’t be the case where it is simply people being used as inputs to grow the economy,” she said.
Ms Poa pointed out that the strategy of bringing in foreign labour results in a “trade-off” where there is higher gross domestic product (GDP) growth, but a depressing of real wage growth.
“In terms of priority, we will prioritise wage growth and therefore seek ways of growing the economy that will help to grow wages, instead of doing it through strategies that actually depress wage growth.”
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Assistant Secretary-General Leong Mun Wai speaking at Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village on Jun 28, 2020. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
Responding to a question from the media, PSP’s assistant secretary-general Mr Leong said that a single-minded focus on GDP would not be “desirable”.
“Just concentrating on GDP is not enough and it is not desirable. We should be concentrating on the people – even (in) economic management, we need to have compassion,” he said.
The PSP would push for job priorities for Singaporeans as well as a reduction of the foreign workforce, said Ms Poa. The party is also advocating for the review of free-trade agreements, especially those dealing with labour exchange like the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.
With potential job losses in the future due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, this will provide the opportunity to cut down on the foreign workforce and start on the “restructuring process”, said Ms Poa.
“With any economic restructuring comes pain, but due to COVID, the pain is already with us,” she said. “Our aim is to increase the wage share of GDP to more developed economy standards.”
“To PSP, wage is not just a business cost, it is the livelihood of Singaporeans, bearing in mind our guiding principle that our economy is there to serve the people, we would not be pursuing economic growth at the expense of wages.”
PSP SUGGESTS “BASIC NECESSITIES” TO BE EXEMPTED FROM GST
On the social development front, the PSP also said in its manifesto that it would want to exempt “basic necessities” from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as freeze tax and fee increases for the next five years.
The party also called for higher CPF withdrawals at the age of 55, as well as for MediShield Life premiums to be paid by the Government.
In order to make Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats affordable, PSP added in its manifesto that it would like to peg the prices of new flats to income levels. It said that this will bring down housing costs for young Singaporeans and free them for entrepreneurial pursuit.
For instance, Ms Poa highlighted that 4-room flats could be pegged to the median income level so that the flat will remain affordable in “different economic situations”.
PSP member Mr Francis Yuen said that this was a realistic aim as currently, the land cost is about 60 per cent of total development costs of constructing a flat.
As such, he said that it was a rational and “possible solution” to price new flats lower for buyers.
Moreover, to ensure that the resale market is not adversely impacted by the lower prices of Build-to-Order flats, Mr Leong added the party would implement en-bloc development programmes for all existing HDB flats.
“This is to provide some support to the resale market. We are mindful of the fact that we have to slowly manage our HDB market, towards achieving more of our social objectives,” said Mr Leong.
“But at the same time we do not want to see unnecessary distraction of our property market,” he added.
On how the PSP can channel some income to fund its proposed policies, Mr Leong said that this could come through two means – the first by making cuts to the current operating budget of the Government.
“Whenever we propose policies, PSP has gone through all the estimates and analysis and we ensure that we are not going to just propose populist policies. Every policy we propose, we have the compensating source of funds that we can get,” he said.
“We are confident there will be sources of savings that we can make from the current operating budget.”
Secondly, the party is suggesting using the Net Investment Returns Contribution (NIRC), Singapore’s investment returns of its reserves which supplement the annual Budget, said Mr Leong.
NIRC consists of up to 50 per cent of the Net Investment Returns on the net assets invested by GIC, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Temasek Holdings and up to 50 per cent of the Net Investment Income derived from past reserves from the remaining assets.
The projected S$18.6 billion in NIRC for fiscal year 2020 will contribute more to the Government’s revenues this year than corporate tax (S$17.1 billion), personal income tax (S$12.5 billion), and GST (S$11.3 billion).
“(The NIRC) can be deployed more proactively, of course we are not going to spend the money if there is no necessity,” said Mr Leong.
“But we all know right now that there are serious problems in Singapore and … Singaporeans are financially very stressed up so there is a justification to actually use up the NIRC,” he added.
The PSP will be contesting four Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and five Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) at the upcoming General Election, a total of 24 seats.
It has named potential candidates to field teams in West Coast, Nee Soon, Tanjong Pagar and Chua Chu Kang GRCs, as well as Hong Kah North, Pioneer, Yio Chu Kang, Kebun Baru and Marymount SMCs.
