PM Lee: Opposition ‘missing in action’ when it comes to thorny issues like repeal of Section 377A
At the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) biennial conference on 6 November 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also Secretary-General of the PAP, called out the opposition for ‘lying low’ on thorny issues, and that it should take a clear stand for issues especially if it aims to win more seats in Parliament and […]
There is no escaping the GST hike starting next year. Here’s how you can cope with rising costs.
Goods & Services Tax (GST) will proceed to increase from the current 7% to the proposed 8% from 1 Jan 2023 and subsequently to 9% from 1 Jan 2024. With the rise in GST, the cost of living goes up and workers bear the brunt, especially those from the lower to the middle-income group. Thankfully, […]
The long-running AHTC saga coming to a close
Today is the day (November 9, 2022) when the judgment is released. Although the Town Councillors and Employees involved may have acted in good faith, there was neither an adequate nor an independent safeguard in AHTC’s approval process for disbursing payments to FMSS and FMSI. The court found that the members and senior employees of […]
A close look at WP’s proposal to treat land sale proceeds as revenue for spending
The WP had proposed that land sale proceeds be treated as revenue for budget spending. They still do not recognise that land is a scarce asset in Singapore and protected as Past Reserves. In fact, the land is so scarce, Singapore had to reclaim land to build housing estates (Read here). One-quarter of Singapore is […]
Can I still afford it if my healthcare bill runs to a few hundred thousand dollars?
No matter if they are admitted to B2 or C class wards in public hospitals, patients will be eligible for up to 80% in subsidies. You can afford it with generous government grants, insurance, and MediSave. This is not a meaningless statement. Many people have testified to it. Case 1 A prematurely born baby spent […]
Don’t try to second guess the Minister because your objective input matters greatly: Lawrence Wong to public officers
At the 2022 Annual Public Service Leadership Ceremony, DPM Lawrence Wong tells public officers not to second guess the Minister or try to propose something that they think the Government will find politically convenient to do. This is because the Government values their candid and forthright inputs. Their professional inputs matter greatly, the minister said. […]
Leong Sze Hian’s vain attempt to cast doubt on the Government’s good intention in the PG Package
Leong Sze Hian wrote an article published by TISG (Did the Singapore Govt overestimate the PGP package or under utilised the funds to assist seniors?) that was a stark display of ignorance and a vain attempt at casting doubt on the good intention of the PAP Government in introducing the package. In his hurry to […]
Government looking into NTUC’s call for unemployment support
Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng affirmed that the Government has heard National Trades Union Congress (“NTUC”) calls for unemployment support for workers and is currently looking at how it can better support displaced workers. Speaking at Forward Singapore’s Empower Pillar engagement session on 2 November 2022, Dr Tan emphasised that with unemployment support, “the goal is to […]
Law Society President Adrian Tan puts the nails on Branson’s reasons for not debating with Shanmugam
And so it was that Richard Branson chickened out and declined an invitation by MHA for a televised debate with Minister Shanmugam on the death penalty in Singapore. This led Law Society President Adrian Tan to ask him in a LinkedIn post: Were you just teasing us? Were you never really serious about this issue? […]
Singapore’s political contestation will continue, likely to intensify
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke at the annual public service leadership ceremony on November 1, 2022. In his opening speech, he highlighted that the Public Service played a pivotal role in keeping Singaporeans safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, from keeping borders, checkpoints, hospitals, and vaccination centers running smoothly to reaching out to households and businesses to […]