This article was first posted here on 30 Mar 2009.

Written by Gilbert Goh

Having met more than a dozen unemployed Singaporeans either through my unemployment support site transitioning.org or my own personal contacts, I observed that there are two main issues that frustrate them.

One is the huge influx of foreigners into our labour force during the past few years and the other is the age bias in seeking employment that seems to have gotten worse recently.

A weekend visit to Han’s restaurant at Harbourfront shocked me as the four staff working there were all Filipinos. From the person that took my order to the cashier and chefs, they were all foreigners happily going about their jobs. The only thing that stood them out from the former Han’s staff that I had seen previously, was the age difference. All of them appeared to be in their twenties. I found myself paying for my order grudgingly.

Are mature Singaporeans not able to fill such positions even if they were much older and were a little slower? Must employers continue to fill in service positions with foreigners while claiming that locals refuse to work longer hours for miserable pay? Are all the employers’ complaints valid? I am sure that for every Singaporean’s refusal to work at such service jobs, there should be another who do not mind such work. This is especially so in this time of economic downturn. Let us not generalise and condemn the working attitude of Singaporeans just because of a few black sheep.

I share the sentiments of the unemployed on both concerns. At the age of 47, I too face mammoth pressure in securing employment in a hiring practice that borders on discriminatory.

Some employment agents have told me in private that employers continue to look at candidates below the age of 35 years old. Some unemployed who responded to advertisements for face to face interviews were often rejected when they revealed that their age is above 40.

If you called in a recruiter and said that you are 40 years old, they would reply that they want someone below 40 years old. If you called in and said that you are 38, they will reply that they prefer someone below 35 instead!

Our labour hiring laws do seem to allow such discriminatory employment practices to prevail. Amazingly, employers seem to get away with such archaic third-world hiring practices in a first world, developed country.

Many I spoke to lamented that they have nowhere to turn to now as they face massive obstacle in being rehired due to their age (40-50 years old). Many who are able are seriously considering the idea of applying for emigration to countries such as Australia or Canada – countries which have strong laws against age-bias hiring practices. I do not blame them for taking such a drastic move because if you cannot find employment in your own country, due to your age, then it makes sense to venture abroad where there is at least some legal protection against discriminatory hiring.

The Aussies have very strong anti-discriminatory hiring practices. When a jobseeker send in his resume, he can choose not to accompany it with his address, race, gender, age, religion and photograph. The employers only decide to interview the candidate based on his working experience and qualification.

As Singapore continues to grapple with the severe downturn and an ageing workforce, let us hope that the government will tighten hiring practices so that our local workers will be able to face the future with confidence and, most importantly, pride.

The Linaburg-Maduell Transparency Index was developed at the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute by Carl Linaburg and Michael Maduell.

The Linaburg-Maduell transparency index is a method of rating transparency in respect to sovereign wealth funds. Pertaining to government-owned investment vehicles, where there have been concerns of unethical agendas, calls have been made to the larger “opaque” or non-transparent funds to show their intentions. As of March 2008, the Government Pension Fund-Global of Norway ranks second among the largest sovereign wealth funds with approximately US$ 380 billion, this fund also ranks among the highest in transparency.

Norway currently leads the pathway to reducing the need for a code of conduct, possibly to the benefit of all sovereign investors. This index of rating transparency was developed around this fund, as it is known to be the pinnacle of clear investment intentions.

This index is based off ten essential principles that depict sovereign wealth fund transparency to the public. The following principles each add one point of transparency to the index rating. The index is an ongoing project of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. The minimum rating a fund can receive is a 1, however, the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute recommends a minimum rating of 8 in order to claim adequate transparency. Transparency ratings may change as funds release additional information. There are different levels of depth in regards to each principle, judgment of these principles is left to the discretion of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute.

Developed by Carl Linaburg and Michael Maduell

                                            4th Quarter 2009 LMTI ratings

Helping low-wage workers help themselves through training are (from left) the WDA’s Jennifer Tan, CPF Board’s Maple Chang, and MOM’s Jane Lim and Hoe Yeen Teck. — ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

TWO years ago, an experiment to turn the despair of low-wage workers into dreams of a better life began to unfold.

The candidates were shortlisted from people who visited the community development councils for a variety of assistance. Many were found to be in low-paying jobs or having irregular work.

Career counsellors sought to change their lives.

How? Nothing revolutionary, except to go for training – an answer that has long been touted as the solution to prevent the working poor from staying at the bottom of the heap.

But not all were convinced.

Some were illiterate and fearful that they could not understand the courses. Some were doubtful if they could absorb anything after leaving school for so long.

Others simply had no time, as they were busy pulling double shifts or taking on two jobs to make ends meet.

Such obstacles did not deter Ms Jennifer Tan, director of the policy and employment facilitation divisions at the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), which conducted the experiment.

It all boiled down to persistence and innovation to deal with issues that should be tackled sooner rather than later.

‘As public officers, we should always be continuously adjusting policies. We should have the sense of urgency… If you know the problem now, try to solve it now,’ she tells Insight of her lessons learnt from dealing with such issues.

This gung-ho attitude stems from the desire to help low-wage workers ‘graduate’ from the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme.

Moving up the ladder

THE WIS scheme was launched in 2007, a year before the experiment began. It offers low-wage workers permanent financial help – in cash and Central Provident Fund (CPF) payments – to supplement their incomes.

They had to be 35 years and older, and earn a monthly salary of not more than $1,500. Their jobs need not be regular, but they had to work for at least six months in a year.

Workfare is not welfare, as the benefits are given to the employed rather than the unemployed to encourage people to work, but it was still considered a radical move.

For a Government which had eschewed giving permanent aid to the needy, the policy was, for the first time, a recognition that low-income earners needed some form of help to get by as they were languishing in this globalised world.

Figures from the Household Expenditure Survey in 2005 showed that while average income for households rose 1.1 per cent a year, those in the bottom 20 per cent saw their incomes fall 3.2 per cent a year – leading to a growing income gap.

The divide has narrowed slightly after WIS was introduced, based on Gini-coefficent figures which measure the income distribution within a country. If government aid like WIS is taken into account, the gap narrows even more.

The goal, however, was not to be content with just propping up their incomes with government aid, but providing ways to move up the career ladder.

‘The point of WIS is not to close the income gap, but to encourage work,’ points out Ms Jane Lim, deputy director of the manpower planning and policy division at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Persuasion and pep talks

ENTER the experiment to equip the working poor with the right skills for a better paying job.

But to pull it off, there were lots of persuasion and pleading, with pep talks to motivate and make them believe they could do it. Eventually, 300 low-wage workers signed up for training customised to their needs.

A novel idea was mooted – giving them a training allowance. Previously, only jobless people who went for training were eligible for this payout.

The proposal was raised after Ms Tan and officers dealt with cases in which workers were willing to attend courses, but could not afford to give up extra work to go for training.

There were some concerns about whether the allowance could result in people attending courses just for the money instead of being serious about learning.

Such scepticism has been pushed aside. If having a training allowance could help these workers make up for the loss of income and lead to more attending courses, it is the right thing to do, she reasons.

It was set at $4 for each hour that a worker attends training.

But there was careful screening to ensure that the allowance was given to those who really needed it, says Ms Lim.

‘We have to look at the opportunity cost, as some have to give up another job to attend training. But we did not give training allowances freely,’ she stresses.

The experiment ended after a year, with half of the 300 workers completing the necessary courses. Some went on to find higher-paying jobs.

The other half dropped out due to reasons such as family commitments and finding training too difficult.

While the experiment did not yield the desired outcome of having more people complete their courses, it was not an exercise in futility.

This pilot project was subsequently used as a reference to design the new Workfare Training Scheme (WTS) that will be rolled out in July.

The target: Improve the literacy level of 5,000 Workfare recipients to an equivalent of N levels, in three years.

Cash will be given to those who complete certain courses, capped at $400 a year. Those who attend training will also receive an allowance.

Sharpening the incentives

THE new WTS scheme was part of a package of proposals put up in February by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC), which was tasked to find new ways to grow the economy.

While the committee zoomed in on raising productivity as a key plank to improve economic performance and pay packets, attention was also paid to promoting inclusive growth.

The WTS, along with other changes to the WIS scheme, was thus introduced to alleviate the plight of the poor. The recommendations were accepted by the Government and more details were announced during the annual Budget statement in February.

Apart from fulfilling a social objective, the aim was to build up a base of skilled workers who can meet the manpower needs of employers, adds Ms Lim.

The changes were timely, as they also coincided with the three-year review of the WIS, with updates to the scheme due this year. Preparations for the review, however, started before the ESC was formed in the middle of last year.

In fact, they began soon after WIS became the fourth permanent pillar of Singapore’s social safety net in 2007 – along with CPF, the 3Ms of health care and home ownership.

Over time, 10,000 WIS recipients were polled to provide a clearer picture of the poorest workers to better understand and cater to their needs, says Mr Hoe Yeen Teck, assistant director of MOM’s income security policy department.

It included questions about the barriers to training and what would compel them to carry on working, he adds.

There is also feedback from the public and parliamentarians, which his department trawls through.

‘We concluded that Workfare has been effective, but the question is: Can we encourage more people to work, or to stay on in their jobs and not drop out from the labour force?’ he says.

From the survey data, the answer was obvious: Sharpen the incentives.

‘In the survey, we didn’t get a response that the Workfare amount was not enough,’ he notes.

But if the incentives are increased, he found that more of the jobless will want to work so as to join the scheme and fewer will want to leave the workforce early.

That was the reason for increasing the WIS payout, to as much as $400 more a year. The monthly income ceiling was also raised from $1,500 to $1,700 so that more will benefit.

On the perennial question of excluding overtime pay when deciding if a person is eligible for WIS, Mr Hoe says it was discussed but dismissed eventually.

‘It’s the total income that matters. Overtime pay, at the end of the day, is still income that you can bring back to the family,’ he explains.

As for calls to have more frequent payments and giving more WIS in cash rather than CPF, these suggestions have been shelved for now.

Humbling experience

INITIALLY, and even now, there were a lot of questions about what WIS offers. Many also did not know what to do with the CPF portion of WIS they receive.

‘Making sure that Workfare was effective was really about the implementation,’ says Mr Hoe.

So for him, and his colleagues, it involved spending after-office hours and weekends at roadshows in the HDB heartland or going door to door to sell the idea of Workfare to the poor.

They still do it to this day.

In particular, they want to reach out to informal and self-employed workers who may not be part of the CPF system and hence do not automatically receive WIS. These workers first have to contribute to their Medisave accounts, before qualifying for WIS.

Ms Maple Chang, senior manager at CPF Board’s self-employed scheme and Workfare department, recalls the humbling experience of knocking on doors with grassroots leaders.

Some workers are not aware of WIS, but refuse government help as they prefer to stand on their own feet. Some know about the scheme, but fear contributing to Medisave as it could get their bosses into trouble for not paying them CPF.

Then, there are the angry residents.

‘They say, ‘I can’t even feed myself and you expect me to contribute to Medisave’,’ says Ms Chang.

Though some doors are slammed shut, she soldiers on. ‘Even if one person benefits, you derive meaning in your job.’

Through such efforts, 76,000 workers have joined the CPF scheme in the last three years. Among them, 14,000 qualify for WIS, which is paid to more than 300,000 workers each year.

But new ways to market the policy have also been learnt.

‘We soften the approach by giving them freebies, such as umbrellas and reusable shopping bags,’ she says of the continuous outreach efforts.

‘There is no better feeling than the instant gratification of free gifts.’

Help, not handouts

THE gratification goes both ways.

For Ms Lim, who was involved in the implementation of Workfare from the early days, the satisfaction derived from seeing the improving lives of low-wage workers is immeasurable. ‘It is not just a policy issue, but also important for the social compact,’ she says.

But what struck her while dealing with issues relating to low-wage workers is the resilience among Singaporeans.

‘In focus group discussions with low-wage workers in 2005 and 2006, there was a sense that people didn’t want handouts from the Government.

‘They wanted to take care of themselves, as there was dignity in doing so,’ she notes.

The message of WIS is thus turned into one which has an impact on families, as workers are more receptive of government aid if they believe it will help their children benefit from a better life.

‘We should be very clear that we are trying to help them, and not give handouts,’ she says.

sueann@sph.com.sg

 

Financials

Piyush Gupta, who joined from Citigroup (C.N), received S$1.2 million worth of DBS shares as part of his joining terms, a DBS spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Top executives at the city-state’s other two banks received bigger payouts in 2009, albeit for the whole year, after the banking sector recovered from the credit turmoil that hit the financial sector in 2008.

United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) CEO Wee Ee Cheong earned as much as S$7.25 million last year, up 27 percent from a year ago, while Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC.SI) CEO David Conner saw his pay package rise by more than 70 percent to S$6.76 million, according to latest annual reports.

Pay packages of Asian banking heads pale in comparison to those of senior executives of European and Wall Street banks, which has forced politicians from the Group of 20 countries to draft new bonus rules in the wake of the global financial crisis in an attempt to discourage short-term risk taking. [ID:nL722182]

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar)

S’pore is the 2nd most crowded country in the world – Reuters

Reuters
Singapore has the world’s second highest population density with 18,189 people per square mile. Link

On DEMOCRACY

“But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do, then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law of the land, should be allowed… If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought.”
- Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition leader, April 27, 1955

“If it is not totalitarian to arrest a man and detain him, when you cannot charge him with any offence against any written law – if that is not what we have always cried out against in Fascist states – then what is it?… If we are to survive as a free democracy, then we must be prepared, in principle, to concede to our enemies – even those who do not subscribe to our views – as much constitutional rights as you concede yourself.”
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates, Sept 21, 1955

“If we say that we believe in democracy, if we say that the fabric of a democratic society is one which allows for the free play of idea…then, in the name of all the gods, give that free play a chance to work within the constitutional framework.”
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Oct 4, 1956

“If I were in authority in Singapore indefinitely without having to ask those who are governed whether they like what is being done, then I would not have the slightest doubt that I could govern much more effectively in their interests.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1962

“I make no apologies that the PAP is the Government and the Government is the PAP.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Petir, 1982

“One-man-one-vote is a most difficult form of government.. Results can be erratic.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Dec 19 1984

“What are our priorities? First, the welfare, the survival of the people. Then, democratic norms and processes which from time to time we have to suspend.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1986 National Day Rally

“If you are a troublemaker…it’s our job to politically destroy you. Put it this way. As long as JB Jeyaretnam stands for what he stands for – a thoroughly destructive force – we will knock him. Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man And His Ideas, 1997

“I think in Singapore, we stand a chance of making the one-man-one-vote system work. With amendments as we have done, you know, like GRCs.. We need to make it work. And I believe with pragmatic adjustments, given these favourable conditions, we can have more open debate.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1990 National Day Rally

“I feel sanguine enough to say that there has never been a better set of conditions for open democratic politics because there is no need for unified front politics.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1990 National Day Rally

“I am encouraged also because I see more and more people write letters to the press and sign their real names. That’s a good sign, a good tendency. To run a democratic system, you must have democratic impulses in the people. There must be a cultural basis for that system. It’s not just having a constitution and saying,” Well, there you are, the system is democratic.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1990 National Day Rally

“Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally work with Asians?”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Asahai Shimbun symposium, May 9, 1991

“With few exceptions, democracy has not brought good government to new developing countries…What Asians value may not necessarily be what Americans or Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As an Asian of Chinese cultural backround, my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient.”
- Lee Kuan Yew in speech entitled ‘Democracy, Human Rights and the Realities’, Tokyo, Nov 10, 1992

“I’m not intellectually convinced that one-man-one-vote is the best. We practise it because that’s what the British bequeathed us.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1994

“Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle-dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no way you can govern a Chinese society.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man and His Ideas, 1997

“You’re talking about Rwanda or Bangladesh, or Cambodia, or the Philippines. They’ve got democracy, according to Freedom House. But have you got a civilised life to lead? People want economic development first and foremost. The leaders may talk something else. You take a poll of any people. What is it they want? The right to write an editorial as you like? They want homes, medicine, jobs, schools.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man and His Ideas, 1997

“They say people can think for themselves? Do you honestly believe that the chap who can’t pass primary six knows the consequence of his choice when he answers a question viscerally, on language, culture and religion? But we knew the consequences. We would starve, we would have race riots. We would disintegrate.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man & His Ideas, 1997

“If we had considered them serious political figures, we would not have kept them politically alive for so long. We could have bankrupt them earlier.”
- Lee Kuan Yew on political opposition, Straits Times, Sept 14 2003

“Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalisation.. I hold unconventional views about this.. I do not believe if you are a libertarian, full of diverse opinions, full of competing ideas in the market place, full of sound and fury, therefore you will succeed.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 2005

“There is nothing to prevent you from pushing your propaganda, to push your programme out to the students or with the public at large…and if you can carry the ground, if you are right, you win. That’s democracy.”
- Lee Kuan Yew telling students to form political parties, Straits Times, Feb 1, 2005

“Please do not assume that you can change governments. Young people don’t understand this”
- Lee Kuan Yew on the results of the 2006 election

“They say, oh, let’s have multiparty politics. Let’s have different parties change and be in charge of the Government. Is it that simple? You vote in a Division Three government, not a Division One government, and the whole economy will just subside within three, four years. Finished.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Today, Aug 15 2008

On JUSTICE

“Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.”
-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956

“…you attack only those whom your Special Branch can definitely say are communists.  Then you attack those whom your Special Branch says are aiding communists.  Then finally, when you have gone that far, you attack all who oppose you.”
-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956

“These powers will not be allowed to be used against political opponents within the system who compete for the right to work the system. That is fundamental and basic or the powers will have destroyed the purpose for which they were forged.”
- Lee Kuan Yew speaking in Parliament on the Preservation of Public Security Act, a precursor to the ISA, Oct 14, 1959

“I can only express the hope that faith in the judicial system will never be diminished, and I am sure it will not, so long as we allow a review of the judicial processes that takes place here in some other tribunal where obviously undue influence cannot be brought to bear. As long as governments are wise enough to leave alone the rights of appeal to some superior body outside Singapore, then there must be a higher degree of confidence in the integrity of our judicial process. This is most important.”
- Lee Kuan Yew in parliament, March 15, 1967

“We have over a hundred political detainees, men against whom we are unable to prove anything in a court of law. Nearly 50 of them are men who gave us a great deal of anxiety during the years of Confrontation because they were Malay extremists. Your life and this dinner would not be what it is if my colleagues and I had decided to play it according to the rules of the game.”
- Lee Kuan Yew speaking to the Singapore Advocates and Solicitors Society, Mar 18, 1967

“I will make him crawl on his bended knees, and beg for mercy.”
- Lee Kuan Yew on J. B. Jeyaretnam, as reported by Devan Nair, 1981

 “We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1986

“It is not the practice, now will I allow subversives to get away by insisting that I’ve got to prove everything against them in a court of law or [produce] evidence that will stand up to the strict rules of evidence of a court of law.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1988

“The same law applies to me. Nobody has sued me for libel because I do not defame my enemies.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Success Stories, 2002

 “Most libels, and I have taken about 30 actions, take place at election time. It has not stuck because I am prepared to go before a court, stand in the witness box and face the most aggressive of lawyers who can cross-examine me on my personal history.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Straits Times, Sept 30 2002

On FREEDOM

“My colleagues and I are of that generation of young men who went through the Second World War and the Japanese Occupation and emerged determined that no one–neither Japanese nor British–had the right to push and kick us around.  We determined that we could govern ourselves and bring up our children in a country where we can be proud to be self-respecting people.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, “The Battle for Merger” (1961)

“Let us get down to fundamentals. Is this an open, or is this a closed society? Is it a society where men can preach ideas – novel, unorthodox, heresies, to established churches and established governments – where there is a constant contest for men’s hearts and minds on the basis of what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national interests, or is it a closed society where the mass media – the newspapers, the journals, publications, TV, radio – either bound by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, men’s minds are fed with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular orthodox political philosophy? I am talking of the principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas, not intimidation, persuasion not coercion…”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysian Parliamentary Debates, Dec 18, 1964

“Any time, every time, you can damn the Prime Minister and so long as it is not a lie and a criminal lie, nothing happens to you.  You can say a lot of things.  You can write books about him, damning him.  So long as it is not a libel, go ahead.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Parliament, February 23, 1977

“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters – who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.”
- Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Straits Times, 20 April 1987

“There is nothing to forbid anybody from nailing his colours to the mast, and indeed it is the safest way to do it. Nail your colours to the mast, defend it and say,”This is my flag, this is what I believe in. I believe in open debate, arguments, persuasion, I hope to win by votes.” But start manipulating innocent professional groups, cultural groups and make them support political causes, whether its freedom of the foreign press or whatever, then I say you are looking for unpleasant linkages with what has happened in the past.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1990 National Day Rally

“The ideas of individual supremacy and the right of free expression, when carried to excess, have not worked. They have made it difficult to keep America society cohesive. Asia can see it is not working.. In America itself, there is widespread crime and violence, old people feel forgotten, families are falling apart. And the media attacks the integrity and character of your leaders with impunity, drags down all those in authority and blames everyone but itself.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Sept 1995

On MEDIA BIAS

“I pointed to an article with bold headlines reporting that the police had refused to allow the PAP to hold a rally at Empress Place, and then to the last paragraph where in small type it added the meeting would take place where we were now. I compared this with a prominent report about an SPA rally. This was flagrant bias.”
- Lee Kuan Yew commenting on the Straits Times, 1959.

On EQUALITY

“It is essential to rear a generation at the very top of society that has all the qualities needed to lead and give the people the inspiration and the drive to make it succeed. In short, the elite.. Every society tries to produce this type. The British have special schools for them: the gifted and talented are sent to Eton and Harrow.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, August 1966

“The human being is an unequal creature. That is a fact. And we start off with the proposition. All the great religions, all the great movements, all the great political ideology, say let us make the human being as equal as possible. In fact, he is not equal, never will be.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, from a speech during the 1960s, Success Stories

“We must encourage those who earn less than $200 per month and cannot afford to nurture and educate many children never to have more than two… We will regret the time lost if we do not now take the first tentative steps towards correcting a trend which can leave our society with a large number of the physically, intellectually and culturally anaemic.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1967

“If you don’t include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society…So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That’s a problem.”
-Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 National Day Rally

“The successful, whether you’re a scholar, a Mandarin or a successful businessman or successful farmer, you had more than one wife. In fact you can have as many as your economic status entitles you or can persuade people to give their daughters up to you. In other words, the unsuccessful are like the weak lions or bucks in a herd, they were neutralised. So over the generations you must have the physically and the mentally more vibrant and vital, reproduce. We are doing just the opposite. We introduced monogamy. It seems so manifestly correct. The West was successful, superior. Why? Because they are monogamous. It was wrong. It was stupid.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Population and Development Review, Vol. 13 No.1, 1987

“There are some flaws in the assumptions made for democracy. It is assumed that all men and women are equal or should be equal. Hence, one-man-one-vote. But is equality realistic? If it is not, to insist on equality must lead to regression.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, Create 21 Asahi Forum Tokyo, Nov 20 1992

“The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to do with culture. The whites score on average 100. Asians score more … the Bell curve authors put it at least 10 points higher. These are realities that, if you do not accept, will lead to frustration because you will be spending money on wrong assumptions and the results cannot follow.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man & His Ideas, 1997

“I started off believing all men were equal. I now know that’s the most unlikely thing ever to have been, because millions of years have passed over evolution, people have scattered across the face of this earth, been isolated from each other, developed independently, had different intermixtures between races, peoples, cl

Special Report
Singapore’s 40 Richest
Suzanne Nam, 09 Sep 09, 11:00 PM ET

   Singapore is emerging from its deepest recession since the island became an independent nation in 1965. Though the economy may shrink up to 6% this year, there are signs that the worst is over. GDP expanded in the second quarter for the first time in a year. Exports and manufacturing were up in July, and property prices and sales are picking up. The country’s main stock index has jumped almost 90% since its March low.

All of this has meant a boost in the fortunes of the nation’s richest. The total net worth of Singapore’s top 40 is $39 billion, up 20% from last year’s $32 billion. Ng Teng Fong is No. 1 again, worth $8 billion, $1 billion more than last year. Kuok Khoon Hong’s net worth is up $2.2 billion to $3.5 billion, thanks in part to a 70% jump in the stock price of palm oil firm Wilmar International.

Some of the increase is due to the addition of very wealthy newcomers such as the Kwee brothers, who debut at No. 4 with a combined net worth of $3.2 billion. The Kwee brothers, who equally share ownership of Pontiac Land, the property developer that owns the city-state’s Ritz-Carlton, are not new money and are well-known in Singapore’s business circle. But they were not previously included due to lack of reliable financial information.

Other rich-listers like the Lien family, previously listed under Margaret Lien, got a boost from the inclusion of relatives’ holdings (done to treat rich listers as evenly as possible and to provide the broadest snapshot of Singapore’s wealth). Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp.’s Lee Seng Wee’s fortune got a bump for a similar reason as we decided to combine his fortune with that of his brother Lee Seng Tee, who was No. 32 last year.

One set of brothers not on the list: the Kewalram Chanrais. While a holding company called Kewalram Singapore owns 23% of Olam (the company the family helped found), worth almost $700 million, the brothers are apparently excluded as potential beneficiaries.

Malaysian citizen Ong Beng Seng is listed this year with his Singaporean wife, Christina, who last appeared herself on this list in 2007. The Ongs live in the city-state and together have stakes in Singapore companies NSL and Kuo International, run by her brother Peter Fu Chong Cheng, who debuts with a $570 million fortune.

Overall, 19 on the list added to their wealth, including real estate tycoon Koh Wee Meng, who builds affordable housing and runs budget hotels, and Yao Hsiu Tung, whose Hi-P makes components for consumer products companies including Research In Motion, Procter & Gamble and Apple.

Thirteen returning tycoons are poorer than they were a year ago. The biggest loser in percentage terms was ship builder Brian Chang, whose fortune dropped 71% to $160 million.

A minimum net worth of $135 million was needed to make the cut, up from $120 million in 2008, and four of last year’s top 40 fell short. One of them was Kartar Singh Thakral, as shares in Australia-listed real estate investment trust Thakral Holdings are down 60% since last year. Another dropoff was Wong Fong Fui, a newcomer we profiled last year but whose fortune fell along with the stock of his Boustead Singapore, down 35% in the past year.

Public fortunes were calculated using share prices and exchange rates as of Aug. 28, 2009. For privately held assets, we estimated what they would be worth if public. This ranking, unlike Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires, includes numerous nuclear family fortunes shared by individuals with their children and grandchildren, or with their siblings. Because so many fortunes include at least some relatives’ holdings, Forbes Asia no longer lists “and family” but rather details family information in the bios when appropriate. Where family fortunes are held by extended families, such as the Kwek cousins, we split them into separate entries.

Additional reporting by Caroline Chen, Phyllis Fang Savage, Lan Anh Nguyen, Jessica Tan, Russell Flannery and Justin Doebele.

 _______________________________________________________________________

1. Ng Teng Fong
2. Khoo Family
3. Kuok Khoon Hong
4. Kwee Brothers
5. Wee Cho Yaw
6. Zhong Sheng Jian
7. Peter Lim
8. Kwek Leng Beng
9. Lee Seng Wee
10. Ong Beng Seng & Christina Ong
11. Lien Family
12. Tan Boy Tee
13. Chang Yun Chung
14. Peter Fu Chong Cheng
15. Ho Sim Guan
16. Chua Thian Poh
17. Kwek Leng Kee
18. Henry Ng
19. Vivian Chandran
20. Koh Wee Meng
21. Olivia Lum
22. Chew Hua Seng
23. Simon Cheong
24. Ow Chio Kiat
25. Cheng Wai Keung
26. Ho Kwon Ping
27. Tan Pong Tyea
28. Lee Kian Soo
29. Yao Hsiao Tung
30. Ng Chwee Cheng
31. Loo Choon Yong
32. Kwek Leng Peck
33. Oei Hong Leong
34. John Chuang
35. Goh Lik Tuan
36. Sunny George Verghese
37. Brian Chang
38. Victor Sassoon
39. Wong Ngit Liong
40. Tay Liam Wee

Do You Earn More Than $52,350 The Median Annual Income?

March 10th, 2010

Jack Neo will tell all
DISGRACED filmmaker Jack Neo will tell all about his two-year affair with a freelance model after the dust has settled, said his manager Tang Wing Fai.

Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao on Monday reported that Tang had discussed with Neo, who said he would meet the media ‘once and for all’ when he has settled the matter with the affected parties. For now, he said Neo’s priority is ‘to make peace with his wife and children’.

Neo’s wife, Madam Irene Kng, 46, told Zaobao that the whole family has moved out of their Pasir Ris semi-detached home and is staying temporarily at another place, leaving the maid to look after their home. She would not disclose details of her current location.

Jack Neo’s wife has forgiven him for his 2 year- extramarital affair with a 22 year old model, Ms Zhong Jiayan, Lianhe Wanbao reports.

The famous Singapore comedian turned movie director has made the headlines lately after it was spilled to the media that the model had leaked the affair to Jack Neo’s wife, Mdm Kang Meifeng.

According to Ms Zhong, she first knew Jack Neo while filming “Money Not Enough 2″ 2 years ago after which Jack Neo started courting her. They started dating a week later.

Jack Neo admitted that he had thought of ending the relationship, but Ms Zhong always threatened suicide to keep him by her side.

Ms Zhong had gone to Jack Neo’s place at Pasir Ris yesterday to expose their 2-year affair to his wife. To her surprise, Jack invited her into his house and asked his wife to meet her.

Mdm Kang asked her what she wants and told her calmly that she already knew about their affair a year ago. She suggested they have a talk outside so as not to disturb her children.

The three proceeded to talk at a Crowne Plaza restaurant together with Ms Zhong’s father and sister as well as Jack’s pastor and family friend who joined them later.

Ms Zhong revealed that she had gone overseas with Jack on four occasions during their relationship. Jack has since apologized to his wife who had forgiven him.
——————————————
Jack Neo sexual approach on Foyce Le Xuan

Lianhe Wanbao on Monday identified the latest woman as 25-year-old Foyce Le Xuan (above), who alleged in an interview with the Chinese evening daily that Neo had sexually harassed her when she was a member of the Liang Jia Ban (Neo’s Family Group).

HE WOOED her with the promise of grooming her into ‘Fann Wong No. 2′, and even booked a hotel room so they could get to know each other better.

This claim was made by a second woman who has decided to speak out on Singaporean filmmaker Jack Neo, just days after a 22-year-old freelance model Wendy Chong broke the news of her two-year fling with the Cultural Medallion recipient.

Lianhe Wanbao on Monday identified the latest woman as 25-year-old Foyce Le Xuan, who alleged in an interview with the Chinese evening daily that Neo had sexually harassed her when she was a member of the Liang Jia Ban (Neo’s Family Group).

Ms Le, described by the Chinese daily as ‘sexy and beautiful’ and drew comparisons with Hong Kong pop star Coco Lee, was a member of Liang Jia Ban for a year from 2004.

In the interview with Wanbao, she claimed that Neo wooed her aggresively after she joined his entertainment group. Once, he allegedly told her that he had made a reservation at a hotel and was waiting for her so that they could spend ‘quiet and private’ time together to ‘get to know each other better’. She did not show up.

She also said that when she first started out at Liang Jia Ban, Neo offered to send her home as she lived in Tampines, which was near his Pasir Ris home. But these rides turned out to be more than innocent, she claimed.

Shortly after, she alleged that Neo tried to hit on her. She said once in his car, Neo grabbed her hand and said, ‘I want to groom you into ‘Fann Wong No. 2′. I will direct a film and make you the lead actress.’

‘At that time, I was only 20, just a small girl… I didn’t dare to speak out… When he held my hand tight, I didn’t even dare to resist,’ she told Wanbao.

On her decision to go public with the affair, Ms Le said: ‘After reading the reports on Wendy Chong in Wanbao, I was reminded of a very unpleasant period in my life. Jack Neo’s wooing methods are the same. He asks for your number, sends you an SMS, and says all sorts of sweet things to his ‘prey’.

She added that she ‘admired Wendy Chong for standing out to reveal the truth’. This, she hoped, would prevent similar incidents from happening.
——————————————-

Wendy Chong @ Zhong Jiayan

Jack Neo has affairs with Zhong Jia Yan. Jack Neo Chee Keong-Zhong Jia Yan extramarital affairs were exposed by none other than Zhong Jia Yan herself, a freelance model in Singapore.

Singaporean director Jack Neo Chee Keong

Jack Neo, 50, is an acclaimed Singapean film director. He was married with wife Kang Mei Feng, 46. Zhong, 22, said she and Neo had the secret relationship for 2 years.

From Kwongwah.com (with Zhong Jia Yan picture and Jack Neo and wife Kang Mei Fen picture,

Singapore’s acclaimed director Jack Neo Chee Keong had extramarital affairs. After the shameful affairs were exposed, on Friday, he, wife and his girlfriend had a 4-and-a-half-hour long discussion.

Jack Neo, who is 50 years old this year, cheated his 46-year-old wife on a 22-year-old model. They had a 2-year-old long underground relationship already.

At 3:00pm Friday afternoon, the young model felt she was cheated by Jack Neo and became very agitated, so she went to Neo’s house and told his wife of their affairs. After a while, three of them left together on a vehicle to a restaurant of Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport where they talked until 7:30pm. The whole process took four and a half hours.

Model Zhong Jia Yan told the media she first knew Jack Neo while filming two years ago, then developed an underground affair afterwards.

Zhong revealed she and Neo had feel fouls many times in the past one year. Yesterday, she finally couldn’t hold the accumulated rancours any longer, so decided to tell Madam Neo of their relationship.

Three of them reached the restaurant of Crown Plaza Hotel at 5:00pm. During the negotionation, Zhong informed his father and sister when arrived at the venue at about 6:00pm.

Wendy Chong

Jack Neo also informed his fellow churchgoers, priest and manager to help. He appeared disappointed during the whole discussion.

There were totally 8 persons from both of sides. They discussed about two and a half hours before leaving.

Jack Neo asked for Zhong Jia Yan’s handphone number

According to Zhong Jia Yan, two years ago, she went to audit for a small nurse role at Neo’s film That NOt Enough 2 and he requested her handphone number and invited her to the film scene to watch his filming.

“This sort of things, I thought it can only take place in the movie, never expected to happen to myself. His special attention to me [for the film] took me by surprise. So we began flirtings after one week.’

She said, both of them were “attracted each other,” in the first three months they never said “I love you,” but they had a common sense in their minds and only hoped they could be together as long as God wishes.

“Cheating On me”

Zhong Jia Yan said, she and Jack Neo had been in a relationship for two years, the reason why she decided to go public for their affairs on Friday was because she was unsatisfactory with Neo’s demeanor.

She said, the night before yesterday’s, when she met up with Jack Neo, he stared her eyes and said “I love you”

On Friday morning, they should have went to watch Fann Wong Fong’s Happy Go Lucky together.

“Although I said I did not want to go, in fact, I had finished the make-ups and prepared to go, did not anticipated he told me, since I did not want to watch the movie, he must go to the lawyer’s office to help his wife do something on the contracts.”

Zhong Jia Yan said the two had used to report each other’s wherebout, but after Jack Neo told her he couldn’t go to the cinema, he neither operated calls from her nor said of his whereout.

“In the beginning, I felt there must be something wrong, suspecting he goes to see other women. I had accumulated piled-up grievances in the past few months. So in a moment of anger I rushed to his house to foul around.”

Mr and Mrs Jack Neo

Overseas Lovebirds
Zhang Jia Yan said Jack Neo bought her a ticket to go with him together when the director flied to Kuala Lumpur to film his Love Matters.

“Last May, he went to Taiwan to promote his That Not Enough 2, other than producer Tang Si Wei, he also took me on his side.”

Zhong Jia said, later when Jack Neo Chee Cheong went to Thailand to attend the film festival or worked at Batam Island, she accompanied him.

” When he was working, I went to do shopping on my own. But after he finished his work, we stayed together and enjoyed the world of two persons overseas.’

Bonus, a few details from The Tamasek Review

Jack Neo admitted that he had thought of ending the relationship, but Ms Zhong always threatened suicide to keep him by her side.

Ms Zhong had gone to Jack Neo’s place at Pasir Ris yesterday to expose their 2-year affair to his wife. To her surprise, Jack invited her into his house and asked his wife to meet her.

Mdm Kang asked her what she wants and told her calmly that she already knew about their affair a year ago. She suggested they have a talk outside so as not to disturb her children.

The three proceeded to talk at a Crowne Plaza restaurant together with Ms Zhong’s father and sister as well as Jack’s pastor and family friend who joined them later.

Ms Zhong revealed that she had gone overseas with Jack on four occasions during their relationship. Jack has since apologized to his wife who had forgiven him.

This looked like Jack Neo and Ms Zhong Jiayan’s video during some “negotiation”.
The resemblance is entralling:

Our city  is getting worse: 200 gangsters recently assaulted four  plain cloth policemen at Geylang!

一名男子趁乱起哄，大喊“不要怕警察”鼓动群众的情绪，还用福建话挑衅警探“你有种就跟我单挑！”有人也跟 着大喊，警察只有4人，我们有这么多人，不要怕！

混乱中，两名警探被击中，另一名的嘴则被踢伤流血，两人过后都送院治疗。

男子过后因纠众闹事及恐吓值勤公务员被控，法官判他坐牢15个月，被告不服所判而上诉，目前保 释在外。

这起袭警骚扰事件,日前晚上发生在芽笼14和16巷。被告冯元光（译音）事发时25岁，当时跟一名男性朋友 在附近吃晚餐。

根据法官判词，事发时，4名便衣警探深夜突击芽笼14和16巷，逮捕了一名马来男子和一名华族男子。华族男 子不甘被擒，极力挣扎反抗，对警探乱喊乱叫还爆粗口。

这时，围观的人迅速增加到近200人，他们趁4名警探一时穷于应付的当儿，举起玻璃瓶、石头、酒杯、椅子等 ，群起扔向警探们。

混乱中，华族男子踢伤其中一名警探的嘴角，两名警探的背部和头部则分别被硬物击中，而被告则煽动群众的情绪 ，出言挑衅警探，现场情况剑拔弩张，警探为控制场面，只好拔枪警告！不久，大批警员和警犬赶到现场维持秩序 ，历时15分钟的骚动才平息。

Chinese to English translation

Four plain-clothes detectives launched a late-night raid at a Geylang illegal  gambling establishment. However, to their surprise, they were harrassed   by a huge group of close to 200  gangsters who surrounded and threatened them. They threw  bottles and stones at the police detectives who were forced to  draw their pistol and fired  a warning shot! 

A man could be heard shouting:  ”Do not be afraid of police”  and began to instigate hostility against the police using the growing crowd as a weapon.

Amid  the confusion, two police detectives were  attacked and physically  harrassed.  The two detectives were later sent to hospital for treatment.  The judge sentenced  one of the two accused  to 15 months in jail, while the other is out on bail pending an appeal.  Two men were later arrested at the scene when reinforcement arrived.

This  harassment incident  took place  recently at 14 and 16 Geylang Lane. The defendant  name is  Feng Light (translated), age  25 years old, and was out with a male friend for  dinner during the night of the incident. 

According to the judges’ sentencing report  , four plainclothes detectives  launched a late-night raid at  Geylang lane 14 and 16. They later  tried to  arrest a Chinese and another Malay man there. The  Chinese man was  uncoperative , strongly refused to be arrested and struggled with the detectives  shouting  foul language at them. 

At this time, the spectator size grew quickly as people from all over  came to see what the commotion was all  about.  Nearly 200 people took  advantage of the small group of four detectives and  began to threw  glass, stone, chairs and whatever the could lay their hands on at them.

In the chaos, the ethnic Chinese man kicked one of the detective’s mouth,  two detectives in the back and head. They were also hit by hard objects, while the defendant incited hostile feelings  against the detectives. A warning shot was  also fired when the detectives felt that the crowd was getting very hostile!

Written by Our Correspondent

According to Shin Min Daily yesterday, two Singapore men committed suicide on the same day by jumping off their flats.

The first suicide victim is a taxi-driver by the name of Mr Lim who jumped from his 15 storey kitchen windows at Taman Jurong.

He had lived with his wife and children in the HDB unit where the suicide occurred.

Neighbors described him as slightly plump and friendly to his neighbors.

It was reported that he was under alot of stress due to financial difficulties.

The second victim is a 30 year old Mr Quan who leapt off from 14 storey at a HDB flat at Holland Drive to his death.

He was wearing a white shirt and blue short pants when this tragedy took place.

It is suspected that financial reasons may be a cause too.

Despite being Asia’s second richest country after Japan, Singapore has few social welfare benefits for its citizens though it is able to lose billions of dollars of its reserves in failed overseas investments.

The competition has worsened lately with the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore who depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living, especially that of public housing and led to an overall decline in the standards of living.

Foreigners are allowed to compete directly with Singaporeans for jobs and there are no minimum wage or retrenchment benefits for local workers.

Singapore’s octogenarian leader Lee Kuan Yew said during an interview with the National Geographic magazine that it is a “good thing” tha the nation has welcomed so many Chinese immigrants as they are more “hard-driving” and “hard-striving” than locals.

For those Singaporeans who have fallen too far behind in the rat-race as they are not hard-driving enough, suicide may remain the last resort for them

Bankers blow billions faster than gamblers