By George Yeo

1. Last night’s recording of BlogTV’s ‘Big Boys Blogging’ was fun. The Flying Dutchman (‘call me FD, everyone does’) and Xue Ling (‘please call me Ling’) were great hosts, putting me at ease. Since we were at Brewerkz, I ordered a light beer. Gayle recommended ‘golden ale’. She had hardly completed her sentence before someone asked if she was old enough to drink. Gayle and Bernard had appeared on BlogTV before and were very comfortable on the bar stools. I am not used to having my feet hanging in mid-air and took a while getting into a comfy position. But, once the conversation started, time just flew by. Ephraim was supposed to put in a cameo appearance on 3G phone but it became only a voice conversation because the 3G connection did not come through.

2. The entire microbrewery was converted into a studio. I did not expect such a big crew – three camera teams, sound equipment, cables everywhere, individuals looking very serious behind control panels. One helpful lady passed me an oil-absorbing face wipe everytime she noticed a sheen on my balding forehead. From time to time, someone barked out instructions: silence please, please remove your watch, ten-nine-eight-… When I was Minister for Information, I visited Caldecott Hill quite often and got to know some of the TV people. But this is a new generation.

3. FD asked Gayle if she read my blogs. Not after the first one or two, she replied, deadpan. Why? ‘Oh, I didn’t find them interesting.’ Boy, my ego was so bruised I couldn’t sleep all night. But I gave what I thought was a clever reply, my teenage kids didn’t read my blogs either, except when I asked them to. Ditto my wife. Bernard asked why I did not blog about the GST increase, blog regulations and other things. I protested that I did. It turned out that Bernard only read my postings on BeyondSG, not Ephraim’s blogsite. Why? Because the ’serious stuff’ is on Harold’s blogsite and they also appear on the Intelligent Singaporean aggregator site. That was a compliment to me, Bernard suggested. So, if you think you are clever, better click on the Intelligent Singaporean from time to time. My grassroots leaders don’t read my postings on BeyondSG much. Too cheem, they say. They much prefer what I write about on Ephraim’s site. I better put this posting on both sites as they seem to attract different readers.

4. I must say that I felt younger after the session, provoking and being provoked. Without that altercation, there is no communication. The new media has its own grammar and vocabulary. I have been criticized for numbering the paragraphs in my postings. It is not supposed to be cool. But, hey, I’ve been numbering my paragraphs since SAF staff procedures day. I’m not going to change now. But one must learn new tricks. For months, I thought LOL which my kids often included in their emails to me meant ‘lots of love’. Parental hopes run eternal. It was only recently that they told me it meant ‘laughing out loud’. I better re-read the old emails.

5. After the recording ended, I was relieved that some snacks had been prepared. I can’t drink too much beer on an empty stomach. The sandwiches and pizza were above average. We carried on a lively conversation. Gayle promised not to blog about some of the things I said. It was a pleasant evening (and an educational one for me) for which I thank FD, Ling, Gayle, Bernard and the Mediacorp crew.

By George Yeo

1. The economy has picked up. On New Year’s Eve, I took my family to eat at the East Coast Park. The eating places were packed. During the Countdown at Hougang Mall and Hougang Central, the crowds were huge and in good cheer. The organisers had distributed free whistles which made so much noise, I had to shield my ears occasionally. The poor MC tried to ‘instruct’ the crowd when to blow the whistles but to no avail. People were having fun and enjoying themselves. Gay Chee, Jimmy Gan and others did a wonderful job organising our first countdown.

2. PM announced that our GDP grew 7.7%. This was much more than we expected at the beginning of the year. Singapore future prospects are good. The two IRs have given an additional boost to the economy. Of course, we can never be sure about the global economy. So long as the US economy hold up, we should be OK. Anyway, we should make hay while the sun shines. I think it is the sense of hopefulness that explains the New Year’s eve celebrations all over Singapore. But we must always have a care for those who are not doing well. They need helping hands and we should be willing to offer ours. The Government will do its share but there is nothing like help freely given our of generosity and love.

3. Looking at other countries, we must be grateful for the blessings we receive. In Thailand, a number of bomb explosions created an air of tension and conspiracy. In Indonesia, another aeroplane disaster has been reported. The execution of Saddam Hussein is bound to arouse strong reactions among some quarters. Singapore is not perfect by any means but we have much to be thankful for.

4. We can’t foretell the future but we can prepare ourselves for bad things that can happen. The world is going through a historic transition. The Cold War is over. American consumption can’t be depended upon forever to be the locomotive. The US housing market is softening. This affects US consumer confidence. The decline of the US dollar bears watching. So long as the fall is gradual, the impact can be absorbed. If there are unexpected shocks and international markets suddenly turn panicky, we’ll be quickly affected. In the meantime, China’s role is growing with huge implications for the whole world. India is also becoming a factor. All this we must be alert to. It is not enough to run faster, we have to grow wings and fly. There are other worries like terrorism, religious extremism and global pandemics. On the whole, we can be cautiously optimistic.

5. I wish everyone good health and every happiness. Happy 2007!

January 02, 2007

New Year Resolutions

1. Although we don’t always carry out our New Year resolutions, we must still make them. It is a sign of hope that tomorrow can be better than today, that we can improve ourselves. In the last few weeks, I have been talking to my wife and kids about our individual resolutions. It is important to encourage one another.

2. I remember the prayer that we should change what we can, accept what we cannot and have the wisdom to know the difference. You can’t turn this into a computer algorithm. Wisdom is what makes us human and spiritual.

3. Last week, my wife and I visited a friend who is stricken with advanced cancer. She was in pain but serene, not giving up on the chance of a cure, but willing to accept whatever may happen. We prayed for her and prayed for ourselves.

4. Last year was a busy year for me. There is so much to do, so much that can be done, but never enough time to do them all. I’ve resolved to be a better husband, father, colleague, friend, minister, MP, … Don’t laugh. Cheer me on and I’ll cheer you on.

George Yeo

By Josephine Teo

In 1996 and 1997 when my husband and I lived in Suzhou, China, shopping for suitable work-wear was not easy and television programmes were not particularly entertaining.  Last week, while on a short break in Kunming, I encountered the fast-changing face of China.

A sparkling shopping centre within 100m walking distance from our hotel offered a wide range of ladies’ fashion.  It was winter and so most of the offerings would not be suitable for use back in Singapore.  Still, window-shopping proved to be a pleasant experience.  Shop-fronts were attractive.  Pieces has been carefully selected and displayed.  Lighting and music had been adjusted to suit the theme and target customers.  Impressively, many (not all) of the retail assistants had strong product knowledge and good sales techniques.

One partiular shop had retail assistants who extended a warm welcome to anyone who came through the door.  “Big sister,”  a retail assistant beamed, “the latest range has just arrived!  This piece you are holding is made of pure wool, and comes in two other colours.  You are very tall and this cutting would look very good on you.  You can just try them on and decide later.”  Before I could respond, her colleague had already brought the other colours!

The last time I got such attentive service was in Boston – what a pleasant surprise to get it now in Kunming!  Elsewhere, the retail assistants might not have been as enthusiastic but they were always polite and never once did I get a dirty-look for browsing, trying but not necessarily buying.  One sales-lady chirped, “It’s no trouble.  Maybe you will find something suitable next time.”

Something else left a deep impression. One evening, while channel-surfing, I cam across a variety programme where four children aged 8-10 were the finalists in a talent quest.  The first contestant was a JJ Lin look-alike.  Not only was he able to sing and dance well, he had some groovy moves on his roller-blades.

The second contestant was a boy who had been learning Peking opera since he was four.  He did a 关公-number and was most impressive in his voice projection, facial expressions and command of audience attention.

The third contestant was an articulate girl.  Tough her routine was not out-of-the-ordinary, she was clearly driven to succeed.  The fourth and final contestant was an 8-year old who did a face-changing 变脸 routine.  He did not win, but the audience still appreciated his unusual talent.

Besides the talent show, there were many other channels offering dramas or variety programmes of very high standard.  I did not sleep till quite late.

The Chinese have always impressed me.  Back in Suzhou, our counterparts working for the local government or MNCs showed much talent, energy and commitment.  Today, that energy has spread a lot farther and wider.

Not only is the competition keen, we must also expect that when Chinese tourists come to Singapore, they will benchmark the quality of service to the increasingly higher standards available back home.

By Bernard

By George Yeo

1. I have been trying out a new phone Bee Lan’s friend bought for me from Shenzhen. It is very attractive, slim, with the keys arranged in a circle, looking like an I-Pod, with a function wheel in the middle. Measuring 5cm by 10cm, it is about 8mm thick and has a camera which takes pictures of 2 Mega Pixel quality and can play MP3 and MP4. There is a dictionary built in, Eng-Ch and Ch-Eng, with a menu of input systems. Lots of other interesting features. And all for the price of S$50!

2. China’s low cost of manufacturing is scary. We are no longer talking low tech. A handphone like the one I described has a lot of technology in it. This is a big challenge to countries, companies and individuals. If we try to compete head-on against China’s strengths, we must lose. The Singapore Government has been worrying about this challenge for some years now. The only way to keep our wages being dragged down to Third World levels is to move into greater system efficiency which is harder for bigger countries to replicate.

3. Greater system efficiency requires a value system which is honest and rational. The efficiency of our logistics is a great advantage. Our protection of intellectual property makes us attractive to industries like biotech and software. Investors don’t like capricious regulators. The virtual absence of corruption in our system is an enormous advantage. The financial industry has been growing rapidly because our system is trusted. Trust is an intangible quality but real. Without trust, we have nothing.

4. Education is key. We need not only to maximize the potential of every Singaporean, we need also to safeguard a group culture which enables us to combine our separate efforts so that the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. There are any number of Chinese and Indians who are smarter than us as individuals. But, as a group, we are much more effective and efficient. That’s why the money we earn has such high purchasing power outside Singapore.

From the Straits Times

29 Dec 2006

WORKERS’ Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim found herself being stopped in the street by strangers more often this year.

They chat to her about issues like estate upgrading and about parliamentary debates, and ‘expect me to have views on everything’, she says.

She came into prominence during the general election, where she led her party’s ‘A’ team against the People’s Action Party incumbents in contesting Aljunied GRC.

The WP got 44 per cent of the vote there, making it the highest losing team and giving Ms Lim, a 41-year-old Temasek Polytechnic law lecturer, a seat in the House as a Non-Constituency MP.

Under the NCMP scheme, introduced in 1984, the highest-scoring opposition losers are admitted to Parliament if there are fewer than three elected opposition candidates.

‘I guess I’ve become a bit more hardworking,’ she says.

‘I have to put aside time to read up, to consult people… there is more demand on my time.’

She has been boning up on a range of issues, from health care to economics and, during the haze, the environment.

There have also been unexpected, even unusual, experiences, she recalls.

Not long after the election, she received a letter from a long-term inmate at Changi Prison, who wrote to say he had been praying for her since he read about her involvement in the WP in a magazine.

She found it ‘very touching’ that he was plugged into wider events outside and took the trouble to write.

They still correspond a little, she says.

There is another encounter she laughs off: A baker refused to sell her mother bread when Ms Lim was in the limelight as an opposition candidate this year.

‘I found this a little bit amusing, but a bit sad,’ she says, adding that her mother felt incredulous that the baker was turning down a sale.

Having entered the House, she has learnt more heartening lessons about politics.

Among them is not to take to heart what one’s political opponents say, especially during the heat of the election, she says.

‘I used to think, ‘How can this person say this?’ Then I realise that maybe that’s part of the whole game plan of the party,’ adds Ms Lim.

‘If I see them in Parliament, we can still talk and just be quite friendly in a way.’

But the greatest change, she reckons, has been to her previously held view that Singaporeans are a politically apathetic bunch.

‘This GE has shown me this is not so,’ she says, citing the votes and support the WP received – from supporters who gave their Progress Package to the party, to those who offered to be polling and counting agents for the manpower-strapped party.

‘It’s something that shows they do care about political participation,’ she adds.

For now, she is enthusiastic about the ’surprise’ opportunity she got this year: Be an NCMP.

‘I used to help Mr Low (Thia Khiang) with his preparations for parliamentary debates… Now, I can actually raise some of those things myself,’ she says.

‘That’s quite exciting for me.’

by Perry Tong

TODAY, page 7, 28th December 2006 ….. Somebody gotta teach me how to put pictures into my blog.

Anyhow, there was a ‘full’ page ad taken out in today’s TODAY. Where Singapore Power announced a surprising drop in electricity surcharges. Great news to kick of the new year if any!!

What was more amazing was that the full page ad listed the historical (back to 2001) prices and how there were pegged relatived to raw fuel prices.

The level of transparency is great. Applause!! Credit given where it is due.

Now on the the tough questions about the graph (the table later on). So raw fuel prices have shot up tremendously in 2006 and have recently made a retreat, but final end user electricity prices have, relatively, been stable, some 19.87 cents per kWh in 2001 vs 21.64 cents per kWh (Oct 2006) whereas ‘oil’ in the same graph has gone from about USD $40 per barrel to a close of some USD $75 per barrel in October 2006.

Raw fuel prices have gone up 90% relative to end prices for the same period which appear to have risen some 8%? Somehow the math does not look right ……. even to a math idiot like me ….

How is this possible? And SP Services as far as I know will be paying out bonuses next year too! As they have been previous years from 2001.

Have Singaporeans really been complaining too much about the rising costs of living? About every single little price hike like in the case of electricity when this ‘advertisement’ graph from SP demonstrates that prices have barely risen 8% over the last half decade?

Or has SP been making so much profit off the end consumer that it is still able to absorb the hike in raw fuel prices over the past 5 years, especially the last 2 years when things got really crazy in terms of oil prices? Was not the rise in worldwide oil price a justification used in every aspect of increase in cost of living in Singapore in 2005/6? Then how is SP able to sustain itself financially, as an arm of Temasek Holdings no less.

Is Temasek Holdings subsidising Singapore in some way that the public does not know about? To the point of being able to buffer a price hike of 90% of raw fuel price?

* * * * *

Turning to the table in the same ‘advert’ next. This table shows the price decreases for electricity used. I’m no electrical engineer or any such thing so bear with some idiocy here please.

What seems apparent is that the more one uses electricity it becomes cheaper? (I’m guessing that the higher the tension the more electricity is used/carried?)

(Revised prices for January 2007)
Extra High Tension 16.34
High Tension Large 19.23
High Tension Small 17.53
Low Tension 20.02
(residential, small business and other)

This query stands to challenge as I’m no electrician. Just an ordinary consumer asking on apparent price differences.

* * * * *

I do not claim to have the answers, only questions thus far.

But this is what greater transparency does. It opens up more for questioning. What the questioning begets are a multitude of effects, some chilling, others engaging, yet others simply leaves one fuming perhaps at times. Most importantly, questioning leads to an active citizenry.

Not questioning for the sake of questioning but questioning so that Singapore as a society can operate as a unanimous whole in the democratic sense. True participative citizenship as opposed to the ‘apparently prevalent’ of “it doesn’t bother me and I’ve got no say anyway.”

Happy New Year!!!

22 Dec 2006

Half Frozen Half Helpful

The article “Govt to freeze fees for one year after GST hike” (ST 1 December 2006) gave much hope for the people that costs will remain affordable. The first paragraph of the article wrote:

“ALL government fees will stay frozen and not be raised for one year when the goods and services tax (GST) goes up from 5 to 7 percent”

These hopes were changed when the article “Government spells out fees to be frozen” (ST 13 December 2006) produced non-exhaustive lists of inclusions and exclusions to the fee freeze.

The Workers’ Party Youth Wing would like to express its disappointment with the government having failed to take into account the need to freeze fees for basic amenities such as transport, utilities fees and polytechnic and university fees.

With the hike in GST from 5 – 7%, Singaporeans will be hard hit by an increase in their daily costs of living. Transport(16.7%), fuel & utilities (4.5%) and health care (5.3%) account for a total of 26.5% of the basket of Consumer Price Index (CPI) goods revised in 2004. This would account for a hike in inflation rates in the near future. If any offset in GST were to occur, these mentioned areas would provide a distinct impact on Singaporeans.

At the same time, radio/TV license, registration fees for passports, birth certificates and driving license, marriage registration fees are not significantly represented in the CPI. More often than not, the latter expenses are either annual or one-time payments with only a nominal impact on the lives of most Singaporeans.

The 13 Dec ST article also wrote “Fees not set by the Government are excluded from the list as any changes are determined by market or other forces”. As far as the Workers’ Party Youth Wing understands, public transport fees are approved by the Public Transport Council, road taxes decided by LTA, electricity tariffs are approved by the Energy Market Authority and polytechnics are Statutory Boards of the Government. However, it appears that these items were specifically excluded from the list of fee freezes.

Interestingly enough, The Workers’ Party Youth Wing would like to point out that students in polytechnic and universities are already paying higher transport fees as compared to students from primary & secondary schools, Millennia Institute, junior colleges and the Institute of Technical Education. Coupled with this is the possibility of an impending increase in polytechnic and universities fees as has been historically demonstrated. The Workers’ Party Youth Wing would like to see more in the budget by way of assurance that education remains foremost in the minds of polytechnic and university students instead of worrying about where the fare for the next bus or MRT ride is going to come from.

工人党 青年团想要指出一个非常有趣的现象。相比之下，就读于理工学院和大专学府的莘莘学子们所缴付的车资费和小学生，中学生，初院生， 工艺教育学院生远远大不相同。此外，这些莘莘学子们还得担忧明年消费税上涨之后，学费相对调高的可能性。因此，工人党青年团促请政府体恤他们的困境，在明 年财政年度财政预案中给予工院和大学生们适当的帮助与津贴。 由此一来，工院和大学生们就能更专心学业，再也不需要为每天的车资费发愁。

The Workers’ Party Youth Wing welcomes the Government’s announced commitment not to add to inflation at the time of the GST increase. To really achieve this goal, items for public transport fees, water & electricity and tertiary education fees should be included in the list of fee freezes. These items would provide more tangible help to the people.

By Yaw Shin Leong

Make Your Mark in History

Shape the Milestone Publication of The Workers’ Party

As it Progresses Towards its 50th Anniversary

Play Your Part to Create an Empowered Society

Where Singaporeans Enjoy Freedom, Choices and Equality

Click here for more details.