For the police report made by Singaporean Martyn See, please refer to: http://therealsingapore.com/content/singaporean-files-police-report-against-former-chief-minister-johor

The Singapore authorities have clarified there was no offence on the part of former Johor menteri besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman when he visited the republic during the campaigning period for Malaysia’s 13th General Election (GE13).

In response to media queries and a police report on Ghani allegedly canvassing for votes in Singapore on May 2, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the following statement:

“The Singapore Police Force confirms that a report was lodged regarding Mr Ghani’s visit to Singapore on May 2, 2013. The police’s assessment is that no offence is disclosed from this report.

“In the case of Mr Ghani, it would appear that there was no campaigning, although some members of his team were wearing campaign shirts.“The acts referred to in the report such as arriving in Singapore, having breakfast or speaking to reporters do not constitute an offence. 

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has registered with the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore that campaigning activities by foreigners are not allowed in Singapore. 

“In particular, the wearing of campaign shirts by some of Mr Ghani’s team in Singapore during the Malaysian General Election period could be misconstrued and such cases should not recur.”

Ghani, a Barisan Nasional candidate was contesting against DAP veteran politician Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah during the GE13 on May 5.

Lim, who is DAP adviser, defeated Johor Barisan Nasional chief Ghani with a majority of 14,762 votes.

Source: MFA/MHA, SPF

My late father won the “Friend of Singa Award” in 1992 for being the “Most Courteous Principal”, in recognition of his “courteous, considerate and caring character towards others”. He was the then Principal of the now-defunct Pearl Park Primary School.

I recall that he was far from being the meet-and-greet, all-smiles principal. He was like a typical strict, straight-faced Chinese teacher. He won because he was a non-quitter.

For years, the school was plagued with littering and discipline problems. Despite the school’s few part-time cleaners, litter was everywhere, coming from pupils and the public. My father took the broom and swept the school — the entire school.

I felt slightly embarrassed, I remember, that the head of a school would be seen sweeping the compound. I said: “Papa, you shouldn’t be sweeping the floor. You’re the Principal. The workers should do it, or make it compulsory for the students.”

He said: “If the Principal doesn’t do it, who would?”

He showed his version of being caring and considerate: Leading by example day in, day out. A year later, the school was spick and span. Pupils and teachers helped in keeping the area clean. I was proud that even hawkers in the People’s Park district were talking about it.

To be courteous is to care for others, even strangers, from the bottom of one’s heart, and to be generous in giving, even if people are not appreciative.

I ask myself what my father would do if he was Singa the Lion and was “too tired to continue facing an increasingly angry and disagreeable society”. He would have started from the basics, led by example and persevered. For sure, he would not have quit.

DANIEL ANG

​​<pic credit: Channel News Asia>

A netizen is reeling from the shock of having contracted a virus - after walking around barefoot. The virus - human papillomavirus (HPV) - caused warts to form on the sole of her feet.

The virus - human papillomavirus (HPV) - caused warts to form on the sole of her feet.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD). There are more than 40 types of HPV that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can also infect the mouth, throat, hands and even feet.

HPV can cause serious health problems, including genital warts and certain cancers. There is no certain way to tell who will develop health problems from HPV and who will not. In most cases HPV goes away by itself before it causes any health problems, and most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it.

Doctors say one of the symptoms of HPV is the forming of a hard lump.

If the lumps form on the soles of the feet, the person may feel pain when pressure is exerted on them.

"Because this virus needs direct contact (for transmission), I would advise that you don't share shoes and socks (with people)infected with the virus," advised Dr Lynn Chiam, consultant dermatologist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. [Credit: Channel News Asia]

"It can also be easily spread in communal areas and communal showers, and also in the office. I know a lot of people like to kick off their shoes and walk on the carpet. I wouldn't advise you to do that."

Is there a test for HPV?

HPV tests are available to help screen women aged 30 years and older for cervical cancer. These HPV tests are not recommended to screen men, adolescents, or women under the age of 30 years. There is no general HPV test for men or women to check one's overall "HPV status." Also, there is not an approved HPV test to find HPV in the mouth or throat.

Is there a treatment for HPV or health problems caused by HPV?

There is no treatment for the virus itself, but there are treatments for the health problems that HPV can cause:

• Genital warts can be removed with treatments applied by the provider or the person himself/herself. No one treatment is better than another. Some people choose not to treat warts, but to see if they disappear on their own. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, stay the same, or grow in size or number.

• Cervical cancer is most treatable when it is diagnosed and treated early. Women who get routine Pap tests and follow up as needed can identify problems before cancer develops. Prevention is always better than treatment.

​Do share this piece of information with your fellow Singaporeans. The best way we can prevent the spread of this virus is to have more awareness about how you could contract and prevent them.

Singapore Education Minister, Heng Swee Keat says a good qualification alone does not guarantee a good career, let alone a job. 

Mr Heng said relevant skills, lifelong learning, and a growing economy are also needed. 

Mr Heng was addressing some 300 Temasek Polytechnic graduands as well as their parents. 

Mr Heng shared his recent experience of meeting the owner of a restaurant chain in Singapore. 

He said the owner had found China-made robots that could be programmed to cook up to a thousand dishes. 

"What matters at the end of the day are deep skills and expertise, and excellent performance on the job. We must learn, as technology evolves and the global economy changes, to be the ones to invent and programme our robots, not the ones to be displaced, if we are to have fulfilling careers."

Some 5,000 Temasek Polytechnic students will be graduating from 54 full-time diploma courses, and six part-time specialist and diploma courses, over five days. 

The first cohort of 66 students from the diploma in Early Childhood Studies will also graduate.

Yesterday (16 May), Dr Teo Ho Pin issued a press statement attempting to cast aspersions on WP’s management of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council and on its Managing Agent, FM Solutions and Services Pte Ltd (FMSS).

Dr Teo published the statement on his Facebook page [Link] as if it were his own. The statement was also re-posted on TR Emeritus (TRE): ['Teo Ho Pin questions WP’s dealings with FMSS'].

The Workers’ Party responded the same day at 9.37pm with a statement titled Town Council Management – What is really at stake.

Besides publishing his press statement on Facebook, Dr Teo also sent it to the media in an MS Word file. TRE has obtained a copy of the file (snapshot below).

Out of curiosity, TRE opened the Word file to examine the history of the document and this is what TRE found:

Evidently, Dr Teo’s press release was last edited by someone using MS Word software registered to janadas. This someone last edited the document on 16 May 2013 at 12:21pm (created). It is safe to assume that Dr Teo was not the last person editing it (see created date), unless Dr Teo used janadas’ MS Word to edit it.

After the file was edited at 12:21pm, there were no further changes and Dr Teo later sent it to the media. The “modified and accessed” dates refer to the date and time TRE opened the document.

Who is janadas?

Checking the Singapore Government Directory (http://www.sgdi.gov.sg), “an online information service to facilitate communication between members of the public and the public service” as the directory describes itself, one name comes up i.e. Janadas Devan, the Chief of Government Communications under Dr Yaacob’s Ministry of Communications and Information [Link]:

Mr Janadas Devan’s job essentially is to coordinate and issue communications of the Government to the public.

It is not known if the MS Word software used to edit Dr Teo’s press release is certainly registered or belongs to Mr Janadas Devan, the Chief of Government Communications.

Dr Teo does not hold any positions in the Government. He is a Member of Parliament (MP) and Mayor of North West District. He is also the Coordinating Chairman of 14 PAP Town Councils.

What business does the Chief of Government Communications have in helping a PAP MP such as Dr Teo draft or edit his press release? If Mr Janadas Devan had any business doing that, to be fair, he should help opposition MPs to draft and edit their press releases too, and cast aspersions on PAP’s management of their Town Councils for good measure.

Assuming that Mr Janadas Devan was really at work, as a civil servant, is it not inappropriate for him to take sides and assist one political party over another?

What do you think?

TR Emeritus

*Article first appeared on www.TREmeritus.com

In all discussions about national issues, Singaporeans point to a possible shift in political power during the general election. In particular, is the current government still good enough to helm the country’s progress?

Whenever angry Singaporeans ta­l­k about national problems, one or t­wo will likely end up with an implied threat, “Wait for 2016!”The year 2016 seems to be the most frequently mentioned in Singapore these days. It is w­he­n the next general election will take place.

It reflects the rapid politicising of the Singaporean, once renowned for being among the region’s most apathetic.

This means that more people are also readier to come out and defend the government, although given the Internet’s nature, they are fewer in number.

(The ruling People’s Action Party polled 60% of popular votes in 2011).

But with election three years a­way, people are asking a once-seemingly ridiculous question: “Can the PAP actually lose?”

The most common answer, even from critics, that I heard is: “Unlikely; not yet anyway.”

After exercising power for 54 years, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has developed strong fundamentals that are hard to overturn.

But voters, still bitter about immigration, could likely inflict more losses of seats on it.

This could be reversed if it recruits enough new talents – fresh, articulate candidates with a serving heart. But the same applies to the opposition as well.

Singaporeans still remember the remarks made by former Prime Mi­n­ister Lee Kuan Yew that the PAP could lose power if its leadership quality drops.

His warning coincided with the government’s decline in popularity as a result of its ill-conceived immigration strategy.

All this has stirred up nostalgia for the past, and their brilliant first-generation go­­vernment.

More people have been comparing the current Cabinet capabilities with those of Kuan Yew’s Cabinet in early Singapore.

In 2011, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong apologised to Singaporeans for the mistakes under his watch in the last five years.

He also pledged to do better, particularly in improving housing and public transport, which failed badly due to over-crowdedness.

Then, in January this year, Hsien Loong ad­m­i­tted that his government could have done more to get ready for a larger population.

So, is the current leadership of scholars, once described by Hsien Loong as representing the best in the land, inferior to Kuan Yew’s genera­tion?

Some believe that organised selection cannot necessarily produce good political leaders. Neither can they be easily trained in rich and contented societies.

The brilliant ones are thrown up by the chaos of history, when millions need to be delivered from wars, droughts or national calamities.

Examples are Abraham Lincoln, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill and of course, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew.

Singapore in the two decades after independence was such a chaotic situation.

After two generations of peace and collective prosperity, it will be tough for Singapore – like Australia and Switzerland – to throw up new great leaders.

Ask the founding leader, Kuan Yew, and he will say he does not think the current team is inferior to the old one.

“Intelligence, administrative capabilities and political sensibilities’ have improved over the years,” said Kuan Yew not long ago.

What’s missing, Kuan Yew added, was the “combat experience” of the first-generation leaders and this could not be recreated.

One of the first to talk about it was the late S. Rajaratnam, Singapore’s first Foreign Minister and PAP political theoretician.

Kuan Yew’s successors, he said, were technocrats better at solving modern-day problems, which was what was needed.

After the visionaries, he said, the country needed leaders who were practical and good at solving problems. He was only partly right in his description.

In many ways, it may not be fair for direct comparison.

Today’s leaders are confronting a different set of problems.

“Greatness thrust upon many of our political leaders will never make them good leaders,” said a commentator.

The human element, the relationship decorum and the ability to fa­thom many issues from a human heart is furthest from their mind, added G. T. Raj.

“The end result is that you are disengaged and use digital means to solve problems.”

To many observers, the PAP today faces two serious problems outside making policies.

One is a shortage of high-calibre people from within the party.

The second is finding it harder and harder to recruit able political candidates from the private sector.

The majority of its recent candidates had to be drawn from the civil service, armed forces and government-related trade unions.

This restricts diversity of expe­riences and capabilities.

The other perceived bugbear is the overwhelming use of civilian and military scholars.

Many of them were parachuted, like other PAP leaders, into leadership roles without much combat or debate experience. They are paying the price today.

Amidst the rising criticisms, there is also a strong other voice.

One senior citizen wrote: “I have supported the PAP all these years – and still have faith that they are capable of delivering the good life for my children in the future.”

Seah Chiang Nee

Chiang Nee has been a journalist for 40 years. He is a true-blooded Singaporean, born, bred and says that he hopes to die in Singapore. He worked as a Reuters corespondent between 1960-70, based in Singapore but with various assignments in Southeast Asia, including a total of about 40 months in (then South) Vietnam between 1966-1970. In 1970, he left to work for Singapore Herald, first as Malaysia Bureau Chief and later as News Editor before it was forced to close after a run-in with the Singapore Government. He then left Singapore to work for The Asian, the world’s first regional weekly newspaper, based in Bangkok to cover Thailand and Indochina for two years between 1972-73. Other jobs: News Editor of Hong Kong Standard (1973-74),  Foreign Editor of Straits Times with reporting assignments to Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and The United States (1974-82) and Editor of Singapore Monitor (1982-85). Since 1986, he has been a columnist for the Malaysia’s The Star newspaper. Article first appeared in his blog, http://www.littlespeck.com.

Although many Singaporeans have expressed concerns about the projected 6.9 million population growth by 2030, some construction firms are looking to capitalise on this hot-button issue to grow their business.

Ho Toon Bah, Executive Director of Soilbuild Construction Group, explained that the forecasted average construction demand of S$20 billion to S$28 billion per annum for 2014 and 2015 will support the population surge.

“The 6.9 million population figure is good news to us. It means that there are more houses to build and more jobs for us!”

On-going construction projects by the company include three public housing contracts, a building in Changi Business Park, a mixed-use project in Lavender Street and four industrial properties in Bukit Batok, Mandai and Yishun.

Responding, Lim Chap Huat, Executive Chairman of Soilbuild, said: “We intend to further develop our position in the public housing sector as HDB ramps up the construction of public housing in the coming years. We believe that our track record in public sector projects puts us in good stead to compete in future tenders from the HDB and other public agencies.”

Meanwhile, Soilbuild is looking to be listed in Singapore through an IPO of 168 million new shares at $0.25 per share.

Shabnam Muzammil, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact her about this or other stories email shabnam@allproperty.com.sg

I just don’t get it…

Why do local employers keep talking down on our own local workers?

Besides being accused of laziness, local workers are also choosy, don’t turn up for interviews and some even don’t attend work when terms are already agreed upon verbally over the phone.

What totally irked me is that they are citing isolated experiences  of some bad hats and immediately pronounced  that the rest of our Singaporean workers will  behave the same.

I actually found it shamefulfor employers  to speak so badly of our  own people – even though its the truth.

Comparison of local and foreign workers

They also tend to compare  our workers with foreign ones and of course sang the world of the latter ones.

I have told them that its unfair to compare local and foreign workers as we are here to stay and unused to working long hours as we have a family to attend to.

Most foreigners are singles and will even camp over night at the office if they have to for their future sake.

Many prefer to work here compared to Cambodia or Vietnam and won’t mind being exploited as they are literally jobless back home.

Some even felt that because they are willing to be exploited by local employers, they could stay longer in their jobs!

However, its true that Singaporeans workers are choosy over distance, pay and even job scope.

Some have even work for just  a day and then disappeared without even wanting to collect their pay.

Nevertheless, its unfair to link just one rotten apple and call the rest the same?

Singaporean worker suddenly unproductive?

What happens to the most-productive tag we have for the Singaporean workers just a decade ago? Have they all disappeared overnight?

I remembered my office celebrated that world-best-worker announcement by having a buffet lunch but all this seemed so remote now.

I have written an  article citing that Singaporeans workers now work the longest hours but remained the least productive in the world.

Perhaps  the influx of unproductive foreign workers have caused our productivity to drop to a negative level since five years ago and show no signs of going up anytime soon.

Many Tuas companies I visited also complained to me that they could not hire Singaporeans because the main reason is distance – even though the pay is at least 20% above market rate.

I have persuaded  some Singaporean PMETs to take up any available job  offer at Tuas especially if they are jobless for more than a year.

The Tuas district probably needs a better transport infrastructure and sometimes only one bus plies the area frustrating many workers who have to work late at night.

I have a lady PMET who just quit from a job in Tuas because she has to work late every night and seldom left the office earlier than 9pm. She reached home at 10 plus mostly.

I also have the priviledge of visiting some MNC and SME recently and routinely faced the irate accusations from  our local employers that our own workers are not hardworking, conscientious and can’t take work pressure.

One MNC even listed down in detail  two local staff who resigned after working for less than six months with them.

Both were senior positions and the pay was not an issue.

I was wondering if they have kept a thick file recording the two isolated cases so  they could provide proof to MOM that they have tried their best to hire Singaporeans but they could not stay long in the job. 

So now they have to bring in a foreigner to take over the position?

Surely there must be some good capable Singaporean executives who are still working on in the company?

“How do you want us to hire Singaporean workers?” the director retorted in anger when he related the two cases to me.

However, they never want to discuss the resignation rate of foreign workers in their company and the way they reacted when the question was thrown at them suggests that it is also high.

Out of the 1400 staff they hired, only less than 15% are Singaporeans. The foreign legion consists mainly of Filiinos, Indians, PRC Chinese among others.

Why hire foreigner when a local can do the job?

It also broke my heart to see a Filipino receptionist at the helm when Singaporeans could do the same job.

Can’t the company find a Singaporean to do that front desk job?

I literally went home to cry  at times after visiting some companies which consist  predominantly of young educated foreigners occupying the whole work place.

You can count the number of local Singaporeans on the fingers of one hand for some companies.

Where are the Singaporeans? They must be all gainfully employed  but yet I still receive daily emails from jobless PMETs…

Something is not right here.

I am sure that in many work places, Singaporeans remain the minority worker and sometimes they are being bullied by foreigners who form the majority of the work force  at our private sector.

To add insult to injury, many local worerks have to take instructions from their foreign superiors.

It is no wonder that many of our fresh graduates prefer to  apply  for jobs from the civil service as at least they can work together with our own local people.

It takes alot of acceptance and adjustment if you want to click well with foreign workers from different nationalities.

From the feedback I gathered from employers and local executives, they tend to stick together according to nationality and sometimes conflict occurs if there is a operational hiccup.

If they resigned, they also do it together further hampering the operational work flow of a company.

My take is that if companies continue to over-depend on foreigners, they will be in for a rough time as MOM will continue to restrict the hiring of new foreign workers given the public displeasure at the scheme.

Singaporean-first hiring mentality

Moreover, I always believe in a Singaporean-first hiring mentality.

In Australia, employers tend to hire back their own people first before considering hiring foreigners even though they are citizens or PRs.

Call them patriotic or silly but we all know that Aussie workers are not as hardworking as Asians but local Aussie employers will not hesitate to hire their own people first without any reservation.

I have spoken  to some of our own local employers on this issue and their attitude really bothers me.

“Its revenue first, Gilbert,” one told me straight in the face.

“To me, they are all workers. I don’t care if they are from Singapore, Malaysia, India, China or Africa. So long the worker is contributing to my bottom line I will hire him.”"

Perhaps, our government’s creation of  a economical Singapore Inc has rubbed off on our local employers so much that  no one now cares a hoot about who they hire so long the person can do the job.

They are not bothered even if  the majority of their work force consists of foreign workers.

To our local employers, the workers are there to help them achieve their bottom line – nothing else.

I remembered vividly the piercing words of a local IT employer with a small strength of ten workers of which eight are foreigners – the incident always  brought tears  to my eyes whenever I thought of it.

“I only want to hire a Singaporean to make up for the numbers, Gilbert,” he told me frankly over coffee when I visited him in his small office.

He has emailed me asking for resumes of local Singaporeans and accepted my request to visit his office.

 ”The  system is now no longer meritocratic.  You can have the best degree from a first class university but cost is everything here.”

When he said those menacing words, my mind flashed back to the hundreds of jobseekers who came to see me for support over the past few years with their well-minted degrees from established universites – both local and foreign.

Of course, to any employer, making enough revenue to last another month or year is important but is there more to it  than that?

He told me how employment agents have being pushing workers to him as most foreigners have to pay a fee to them for employment opportunities even before they have any confirmed job placement.

Many foreigners probably are on a  2-week holiday social visa but they are actually on the look out for possible work opportunities.

The easily-available work permits via our S-Pass and EP mean that foreigners can be hired within one or two months upon submission of their documents  depending on the urgency of the vacancies.

I am unsure how the equation works out for the IT employer  in the end  but if employers decide to place revenue above everything else,  there will come a time when foreigners will hold the company ransom if they decide to walk out amass.

I have already heard of  this happening in one or two companies that I visited.

So what can we do now?

So what can we do to alleviate the current perplexing employment situation?

For one, the Ministry of Manpower needs to tighten up the employment passes further and ensure that employers continue to hire Singaporeans first.

Our dreadful EP system also needs to have a quota system like the S-Pass so that our local PMETs are not entirely displaced by educated younger foreign workers.

The over-supply of foreign workers has adversely  affect  the employment opportunities of our local workers  and severely depress wages as well.

Human resource managers have told local workers  looking for jobs to “take it or leave it” as there are long queues of foreign workers waiting to be hired.

Our local employers need to seriously consider hiring local worker if there are vacant  position and do not need any niche specialised skills from a foreign talent.

I have seen too many foreigners carrying out the common duties of a receptionist, co ordinator, telephone operator, manager among others.

They are mainly young, eager to please and slightly cheaper than local workers and who can fault our employers from hiring them?

Who allow these workers to flood the country in the first place?

Why not give our jobless  40-50s executives a shot at the job if they don’t mind the same salary and job scope?

Moreover, local workers are here to stay and we have obligations to our family and country.

The foreign workers will only stay on as long as their  financial obligations are met. They will leave after that.

The employment situation will only get worse if MOM does not intervene and allows the rot to continue.

Our birth rate will also worsen  if  local Singaporeans do not see stability at the job front and decide not to give birth due to financial reasons.

Hopefully, this contentious   employment pass system  is one sacred cow that the Prime Minister is willing to slay for the country.

If not, Singaporeans will not harbour  any loyalty to a country that operates like a incoporation in the first place.

Written by: Gilbert Goh

*Article first appeared on www.Transitioning.org

TRS reader Mei is a mother of 2 says this ang moh guy spewed insults at her after she sounded her horn to warn him that he was reversing into her.

She also says that he was spewing insults at her during the exchange.

She relates the incident:

"Yesterday morning (May 17) at 10.45am whilst dropping off my kids at Tanglin Post Office, this driver quickly reversed his car out of the parking lot in the direction of my car. 

"As a natural reaction I sounded the horn briefly to avert an accident. 

"The driver continued to reverse his car and then stopped and wound down his window to shout curses at me.

"There were too many to mention but suffice to say, I was taken aback. 

"I then wound down my window and told the man, 'I sounded my horn because I was afraid you would hit me' and in return I was once again greeted with a litany of curses from the man. 

"He then put his car purposely into reverse gear again to intimidate me. 

"He then got down from his car to confront me. I was by then deeply afraid for my life and used my phone to snap photos of this big burly "ang mo" man. 

"The man then whipped out his own phone while still spewing obscenities at me and took photos of my car and walked up to my window and pointed the camera at my face and snapped a photo in retaliation. He sounded like those England or American TV show people so i guess he must not be a local in Singapore. I was really scared..really really very scared.

"Throughout this time, he threw insults at me and behaved in a highly aggressive manner which left me scared and shaken. 

"My kids in the car started crying as well.

"I was literally shaking in fear thorough out this incident."

<click for enlarged picture>

TRS reader Joe is shocked by this doctor's joke at the expense of his schizophrenic patient, saying that the patient would be entertained by having other people to talk to while consulting with him.

Just last month, a medical student who had tweeted about her patient's medical history was suspended from clinic postings.

Joe commented on the doctor's distasteful joke:

"In light of the recent news about a medical student tweeting about her patient, one would assume doctors would be more careful about their opinions on their patients, but it seems not to be the case.

"A friend of mine showed me this photograph of a doctor's facebook post, about his patient with a schizophrenic disorder. 

"Firstly, calling a patient 'IT'? 

"And secondly, making a joke about the patient's schizophrenic disorder by poking fun at how the patient has other 'people' talking to him. 

"This is utterly disgusting. Doctors are in a unique position where they are privy to a patient's most personal information. 

"I would not want to be seen by doctors who judge me in this manner and THEN go on to post about it to their friends on facebook to laugh about. 

"Surely our doctors can do better. Don't they have an ethics board to deal with such doctors? "

More estranged partners are taking their fights online, drawing battle lines with their friends in social media and washing dirty linen in public, said divorce lawyers and counsellors here.

Some cautioned against such a public display of hostility.

Mr John Vasavan, 53, who has been a volunteer relationship counsellor for about 30 years, said: "If a couple continues (dishing dirt) online and don't talk to each other, the relationship becomes even more strained.

"If they speak to each other, they can (at least) still quarrel and argue it out."

In one case, a man noticed his wife was not her usual self and started feeling suspicious.

After checking her mobile phone, email and credit card bills, his worst fear was realised - his wife was having an affair with another man.

Upset and blinded by fury, John (not his real name) vented his anger on his Facebook account and wrote about his wife being unfaithful.

The well-educated couple in their early 30s, who have three children, all under 12, ended up going their separate ways.

In another case, Janice (not her real name) took the war of words with her exhusband over a custody issue to her Facebook account. Friends shared her posts and they soon went viral.

In yet another case, Jenny (not her real name), suspicious of her husband's late nights, put up a Facebook post about how hurt she is. The couple are still in the middle of their dispute.

Divorce lawyers and counsellors say this trend of open hostility is set to continue as more people embrace social media.

Said Mr Gulab Sobhraj, 54, from Crossbows law firm: "It is like being in a virtual boxing ring with spectators watching.

"But the more rational ones will just ignore it... and hope things work out for the couple.

"They (the netizens) won't cheer them on, at least, not in public," said Mr Sobhraj, who specialises in family law.

He said that he has seen more such cases - about four to five - since last year.

Such cases were quite rare in the past two to three years.

He has seen couples using social media to track their spouses' activities, hitting out at each other with allegations and even sharing details of their disputes.

He said that some of the aggrieved parties who post online just want someone to sympathise with them.

There are also those who feel that they can hurt the other party more, especially when their family and friends are connected to each other, he said.

He said: "We usually don't delve further into these and advise our clients to stop doing it as it can have repercussions.

"One's character can be tarnished and there are elements of defamation.

"It can also affect one's reputation and job, especially if one's superior is also linked on Facebook."

Marriage specialist at Focus on the Family Singapore, Ms Sue-Ann Lee, said that the couple's children may also be affected.

She said: "If your child has been witness to your conflict and is aware of your public airing of grievances, this may teach your child that it's okay to be disrespectful to your spouse."

Once a couple have gone public with their disputes, it is usually a one-way ticket to divorce.

Mr Sobhraj said: "In most situations, they do end up ending their relationship."

Mr Vasavan said there has been a marked increase of such cases in the last three to four years.

He said social media provides a platform for people to vent their frustrations and gain attention.

"It may even be a recourse to get answers from the other party," he said.

Dr Danny Ng, a clinical psychologist and the clinical director of Renovare, said it is hard to get objectivity online, where each side will be biased in the comments they pick up.

He said: "(They) will be selective in the advice they see and they tend to listen to what they want to hear."

Embarrassing a spouse online also ends up hurting the ego of the other party, said Mr Vasavan.

He said: "The other party may be asking, why are you washing dirty linen in public? Why don't you speak to me directly?"

And the friends adding fuel to the fire may not have the couple's best interests at heart, he added.

He said: "Many people online are judgmental. If they, such as friends, bring up things they are privy to, they may aggravate it."

Mr Rajan Chettiar, 47, a family lawyer from Rajan Chettiar & Co, said ranting about personal details online is considered unreasonable behaviour.

The best way for warring couples is to seek professional help and to do it privately.

The earlier a couple seeks proper help, the better the chances of reconciliation, said Mr Vasavan.

But there is still hope, said Mr Chettiar.

He said: "If they want to reconcile, nothing will stop them from doing so. "It is a very personal decision that lies in the hands of the two parties."

The number of divorces and annulments here in 2011 was 7,604, up from 7,338 in 2010 and 7,280 the year before, figures from the Department of Statistics showed..

Source: The New Paper

Public transport in Singapore ranks ahead of Hong Kong and European cities such as Paris and Amsterdam while taxi service in Singapore ranks the second best, according to a TripAdvisor survey.

Survey results were based on more than 75,000 responses and looks at how international and local travellers view forty key tourist cities around the world.

Singapore ranks second place for 'Best Taxi Services', with Tokyo coming out tops.

Indeed, Taxi drivers in Singapore are mostly very kind hearted and friendly people. Recently a Singaporean cab driver Mr Sia Ka Tian, 70, returned $1,100,000 worth of cash to a Thailand tourist. Just 2 days ago, it was reported that another Singaporean cabby Mr Suleiman Musa, 61, helped an injured women on the road and sent her to the hospital free-of-charge. I am sure you will have your own good experiences with our local cab drivers needless to say.

Thus, Taxi drivers in Singapore are also ranked the third most friendly in the world.

Singapore ranks fifth for 'Best Public Transport', ahead of cities such as Hong Kong, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Seoul, and Paris. Again, Tokyo emerged tops.

Not only that, Singapore is also second place for 'Cleanest Streets' and 'Safest Streets', with Tokyo once again bagging the top spot in both categories.

A recent report ranks Singapore's taxi fare rates as the seventh cheapest out of 25 cities around the world. Check out which countries beat us, and which ones we are behind of.

According to a report on Rocketnews24, these latest results from Trip Advisor are based on how far of a distance S$12.20 can get you.

They are obtained from the countries' taxi companies as well as tourism centres.

Here is the full ranking:

25. Amsterdam, Netherlands (2.695km)

24. Tokyo, Japan (2.896km)

23. Rome, Italy (3.510km)

22. Berlin, Germany (3.816km)

21. Sydney, Australia (4.271km)

20. London, England (4.741km)

19. Toronto, Canada (4.748km)

18. Cairo, Egypt (5.000km)

17. Madrid, Spain (5.939km)

16. Prague, Czech (6.385km)

15. Hawaii, USA (7.313km)

14. Paris, France (7.505km)

13. New York, USA (8.403km)

12. Johannesburg, South Africa (9.650km)

11. Moscow, Russia (10.000km)

10. Istanbul, Turkey (13.871km)

9. Taipei, Taiwan (16.411km)

8. Seoul, South Korea (18.159km)

7. Singapore, Singapore (25.538km)

6. Beijing, China (35.410km)

5. Manila, Philippines (43.277km)

4. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (45.729km)

3. Mexico City, Mexico (46.564km)

2. Bangkok, Thailand (55.399km)

1. Delhi, India (86.960km)

What do you think of Singapore's seventh position for Taxi fares?

Once an SAF man, always an SAF man. You will think like one, act like one, talk like one. You can’t change that because you have been drilled to obey your bosses, not your instincts – that is if you have any instincts left in you after all the military drills and programmes to dehumanize you.

Chan Chun Sing (right), like a military trained robotic attack guard dog, sees only enemies in our neighbours. He does not see friends or allies who can help us progress together economically. As a former top SAF guy, his glass is always half empty, when opportunistic businessmen and foreign investors, who are the economic backbone of Singapore, see it as half full.

Here is Chan’s usual “they’re out there to get us” mindset in his dehumanized SAF mind. Never mind there’s really nothing worth we have to get us for in the first place.

Remember Navy’s ‘behind the scenes’ work securing Singapore’s imports: Chan Chun Sing

Servicemen from the Republic of Singapore Navy and two Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats surrounding an “intruder” during a media preview of the Navy Open House 2013. Senior Minister of State for Defence Chan Chun Sing opened this weekend’s Navy Open House by reminding Singaporeans of their navy’s “hard work behind the scenes” in securing the sea lanes that deliver imported food and energy that the country depends on. — ST FILE PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Senior Minister of State for Defence Chan Chun Sing opened this weekend’s Navy Open House by reminding Singaporeans of their navy’s “hard work behind the scenes” in securing the sea lanes that deliver imported food and energy that the country depends on.

He said on Saturday: “Everything that we eat, the air-con we turn on, the energy we use, comes from somewhere else in this world.”

Mr Chan also stressed that despite the state-of-the-art technology on display during the open house, it is the servicemen and women who ensure that the navy does it job well.

“They are the people who make all these machines work,” he said. “The machines do not define the capabilities of the SAF or the navy.”

There’s nothing wrong to be operationally alert and ready. But to create a situation where there’s a bogeyman out to eat our children when there’s none in the first place? What is this nonsense of “securing the sea lanes that deliver imported food and energy” is this deranged guy yakking about?

The sea lanes that allow ships to move in and out of Singapore is controlled by our neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. We are good as a land-locked country. If at all, if he means that the sea lanes have remained open and that’s why we are able to progress, it means that our neighbours have either been extremely nice to us to allow passage, or they are the real heroes behind the scene keeping that passage passable so that we can benefit!

Why is Chan always singing the tune that there are people out there to harm us? Why the Big Baad Bogeyman scare that there are foreigners out to cut off the very sea lanes Chan purports we protect (ha ha ha) when it is our neighbours who are the ones who protect us so?

SAF trains its top men to see the enemy in our neighbours -

It is known that the SAF always trains its top men to believe that our neighbours are up to no good. It has become part and parcel of the SAF motto to train its top officers that the Big Baad Bogeyman is out to get us. This is repeated in one of the top SAF scholar’s thesis, where the same stale news that we are under constant threat from our neighbours is repeated - War-happy SAF’s shift from defence to engagement in wars of others. Here, we have Maj Lee Yi-jin’s Master’s thesis, where it implies Indonesia is out to get us. That’s a mirror image of fellow top SAF scholar Chan’s imagery, no?

SINGAPORE’S DEFENSE POLICY: ESSENTIAL OR EXCESSIVE?
(by Maj Lee Yi-jin)

…snip…

Page 29 – Cites the Period of Confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia, when we were under the Federation as an example of “hostility from outside”, implicating Singapore has enemies.

This citation is not very well applied and very much misquoted by many PAPpies. Indonesia had an issue with Malaysia because the merger of Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsula Malaya was seen as an expansionist plan by Malaya’s Tunku. Indonesia and Philippines were quite hostile to that move. The attacks by Indonesia against Singapore has to be seen in the context that it is actually one country against another country’s plan for expansion. It is not honest to imply that Singapore, a majority Chinese non-Muslim populated country, was under attack from a majority Muslim country.

Saw how talking to one top SAF guy is like talking to all of ‘em? Yep, they have been drilled and trained to be like robots. No need to think. Only repeat what has been drilled to them.

Rounding up -

As mentioned, there is nothing wrong to be militarily operational and ready. In fact, it is a must to be that. But SAF, being SAF, is living in paranoia. It believes that a Big Baad Bogeyman is out to usurp Singapore, so much so that everything it does, it sees our neighbours as enemies.

In reality, it is always better to have cordial friends as neighbours than to taunt and provoke them and project them as enemies. SAF is always seeing our glass as half empty, when in reality it is half full.

To end this article, here once again is Chan Chun Sing singing his scary tune, implying 200+ million of our neighbours are out to get us. Never mind we don’t really have anything worth for them, or anyone for that matter, to make it their while to attack us.

Q and A from the video clip below:

Q: How was your experience working in Jakarta allowed you to understand the Malay Muslim community better?

2:10 min – In his closing statement, he reminds everyone of the scary, (shiver, shiver….) fact that Indonesia is reproducing at an astronomical rate. A rate of one Singapore (population size) per year. He then makes a subtle (and sly) implication that these Indonesians are in unison in idea, to usurp Singapore.

That’s Chan Chun Sing. He sees only enemies and he does not see any friends. But you can’t blame him. That’s because the SAF trained him that way.

Barrie

* The writer blogs at http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.com/

"I have seen many posts about parents recently. They make the inside of me jump a little. This is a confession from a mummy’s boy. I have been tagged or labelled by many as the mummy’s boy. 

"If I was going to stay out late, I would call my mum to let her know. Before I went home or after a meal out with my friends, I would call back to see if mum needed anything like food or household stuff. 

"I used to hate it when my friends teased me about it. But they had no idea what was happening in my life. When I was young, spending every cent or even buying food in school had always been an issue. 

"Sometimes, I would starve just so I could save a little and I would lie to my friends that I was on a diet. Strangely, I was still quite a fat kid back then. 

"I never once bought anything extra for myself or even toys. I would say 95% of my toys were actually from others. I have forgotten how many times the water and electricity at home was cut off and I had to go to the void deck to study. 

"My mum always felt bad about this, that she was not giving her kid the best. That’s when I started to hate my dad. I always wondered why he didn’t bother much about my studies and my well-being. He was almost non-existent in my life. 

"In my memories of my childhood, I can only remember my mum carrying me and dancing around. The times when we sat down and share a bowl of dessert, which was a luxury to us I feel. 

"I remember the time when I pooped in my pants when I was much younger, and the time when I lost my school shorts during a swimming lesson. My mum was always there to save me from further embarrassment.

"Without her, I would have been so lost. At home, we ate all kinds of Maggie Mee, bread and biscuits. But these hardships bonded us together even more. When I was in army or working after my ORD period, I would try my best to have dinner with mum everyday, even if I am very hungry during office hours after my lunch. 

"I couldn’t save much but I still felt happier being able to buy her better food. I always thought I would repay her when I had the chance to in future for being the loveliest and toughest woman that has stood by me throughout most of my life.

"But before I could do that, she left me. The day when she left me, I felt as though my world had crumbled. I was over-reliant on her for support, advice and company, and suddenly I was left all alone. 

"But I know deep inside, she wanted me to live well, be a son that she would be proud of. That is the only thing I can do to repay her. I regret spending so much time working and not keeping her company instead, because I wanted to be more financially self-sufficient. 

"I regret occasionally going out late late and making her worry for me. I regret not doing the best I could, but I did try.

"I began trying hard to understand my dad and to talk to him more often. I began to see the good in him and not the bad. I tried hard not to question the past but focus on the future. I no longer want to bear the hatred within me and let it overwhelm me. 

"Loving someone is always better than hating him. I know my mum loved him, and as his child I should love him too. I know humans are not perfect; we all have our good and bad sides. I tried hard to salvage our relationship and it did work out pretty well I would say.

"In order to move further, we sometimes have to put down past burdens and the hatred or hard feelings that have weighed us down. Forgiveness isn't easy but it’s not impossible. I wouldn’t say my father had done anything wrong to deserve my forgiveness. 

"But I have learnt to let go of my hatred and live with love. I admit I really live much better now. I do not know what the future holds for me and I really hope I have managed to put everything behind me, but I just want to share this with everyone out there. 

"1) Cherish your loved ones and don’t ever give yourself a chance to regret. 

"2) Sometimes, humans tend to remember the bad things people have done to them and overlook the small good things people have been doing. Search harder for those good things and be appreciative and grateful for them. Well at least my father provided me with shelter, water and electricity which is already a lot better than many others. 

"3) Hatred will only burden and weigh you down without any benefits. Love will bring you further in life. Being appreciative of others and showing compassion to others will make your life better and happier. Sometimes happiness has to be built from within and searched for in the surroundings.

"4) Show your love and concern in every way, every chance you can. It can be in the most subtle form of asking how the day is for them, a hug or just simply a smile. You never know how big an impact you can have on your parents, family or friends. 

"5) The tragedy of life is not death but what we allow to die inside of us while we live. Let’s not let the love, the kindness or anything good die inside us. Let the things that weighed us down like hatred, jealousy and regrets die instead. It isn't going to be easy but it’s not impossible. 

"I sincerely wish that this post will help people to think a little more by sharing my thoughts and experience. I hope it helps you get better and more appreciative of life."

Anonymous TRS reader

No wonder the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) flashed it's advertisement on telly last night again. You know, the one that has an old lady at a food court whinging about how her boss treats her. The happy ending has same lady saying "I know my rights", and the recalcitrant boss recanting, "I do it right". The stuff of fairy tales.

<Above: Fairytale commercial by the Singapore's Ministry of Manpower>

The hard truth on the ground, as demonstrated in the Shane M video, is a stark difference. The problem in propagating official lies is that truth becomes the real casualty. The MOM is not the only one at risk. The following opinion piece (unsigned) can only pull the paper's ranking lower than 149:
 

"In a parliamentary disclosure that took the wind out of the moral sails on which the opposition party had been coasting, he (Khaw Boon Wan) pointed that the WP, too, had turned to party affiliates in its own council management. The WP's defence - that the affiliates were supporters and not party members - was hardly convincing." (ST Monday May 20, 2013)

The believability situation is so bad that even the City Harvest Church media unit is setting up their own trial coverage because, "While we understand the mainstream media's perspective, we hope to plug possible gaps for our members." Good luck guys, the gap in credibility is now so huge, it's as good as turning into a black hole, the cosmic region of spacetime from which gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping.

Tattler

*The author blogs at http://singaporedesk.blogspot.ch

It looks like even City Harvest Church (CHC) doesn’t trust the Singapore mainstream media these days. When 6 CHC leaders were arrested last year, some of the church members were unhappy at what they perceived as biased reporting by the mainstream media.

CHC currently employs its own media unit to cover the ongoing trial of 6 of its leaders, including pastor Kong Hee.

The CHC media unit, City News, has a core group of about 15 volunteer journalists. They are a mixed bunch of students and working professionals, some with media experience. They have been taking turns to cover the trial.

CHC aims to give its own perspective on the trial of its leaders.

The team produces video news segments which are uploaded to its channel on YouTube, called citynewssingapore, as well as writing on the court proceedings. Not surprisingly, the news tends to heavily feature comments from defence lawyers and pastors. The stories are published on CHC’s portal Citynews.sg.

CHC said, “While we understand the mainstream media’s perspective, we hope to plug possible gaps for our members.”

Following is the news produced by CHC’s City News team for the first day of the trial:

City News declined to reveal the budget of its operations.

TR Emeritus

*Article first appeared on www.TREmeritus.com

I'm a Singaporean and the current issues with influx foreign workers affects us all. While I agree that we need some foreign workers but they should not be at the expense of Singapore citizens. I would like to forward some suggestions to improve the current situation for Singaporeans.

1) Abolish the concept of "Permanent Resident". 

You're either a citizen of a foreigner. As such, govt (or future govt) policies should be drafted in favour of citizens. Policies such as housing and education can then be clearly defined as for either CITIZENS or FOREIGNERS. 

For example: All public housing ie HDB is for citizens only. Public schools places should be for citizens first and only if there are spaces then it's open to foreigners. If foreigners send their children to public schools they should be charged full fees with zero subsidy. Foreigners can buy private property or send their children to any private schools. 

2) All foreigners (please stop calling them "foreign talents") should then be on a time limit work visa (eg 3 years) that is subjected to mandatory MOM periodic renewal. I'm suggesting 3 years. MOM can then regulate the number of work visas issued based on current economic & employment status. MOM should use unemployment rate of working-age citizens to regulate the visas issued especially for PMET type of work. MOM should monitor all HR department hiring practices to ensure that it's not biased against citizens.

 Adam Bin Ali

Source: Channel News Asia

While house-hunting in the HDB resale market recently, I came across a number of permanent residents (PRs) who were selling their flats as they were returning to their home countries or emigrating to other countries.

A few property agents have told me they are seeing more PRs doing so.

This brings me to question the true intent of some PRs when they buy HDB flats.

Clearly, they stand to make hefty capital gains from selling their flats. Some become “instant millionaires” when they return home, especially to developing countries, after working in Singapore for several years.

Although one can argue that Singaporeans also benefit from capital gains when they sell their flats, the benefit is marginal or non-existent if they choose to buy a similar type of flat, upgrade to a bigger flat, or buy private property here.

When the HDB first allowed PRs to buy public housing, the premise was to assist them in sinking their roots here and bring them one step closer to becoming citizens. Clearly, this is not the case for all PRs.

Some curbs on PRs purchasing HDB flats are in order.

The authorities could consider requiring PRs to sell back their flats only to the HDB based on the price they paid for the units. This will help to root out any opportunistic intentions on the part of some PRs.

PRs married to Singaporeans would, of course, be exempted from the curbs.

Uncontrolled purchases of HDB flats by PRs drive up the HDB resale price index and make public housing more expensive for Singaporeans.

Any curbs to be introduced should focus on the long-term commitment of PRs to Singapore, while ensuring the housing needs of Singaporeans are met.

Edwin Lim

The Singapore Police said a report has been lodged with regard to an incident of physical abuse at the workplace.

The Police report was lodged by the victim and the co-worker who recorded the video.

This comes as the incident was filmed and shared virally over The Real Singapore FB page with over 7000+ shares and more than 800,000 views.

The video documenting a man hitting another man went viral after it was uploaded on May 18 here:

A Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) spokesperson has confirmed that the intern is a student with the school.

SIM said it has terminated his internship with the company immediately. SIM added the student has been offered assistance.

However, it is not known why SIM decided to terminate the intern as it is highly doubtful that he will become a victim of workplace bullying in that company after such a big hoo-ha.

Meanwhile, in a statement released on Monday evening, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said it was notified of the video via email on Monday.

MOM said it has been in touch with the intern who recorded the video.

The ministry also reminds employers that they are expected to treat their employees fairly and with respect.

It added that in situations where employees feel threatened, they should report to their supervisor or human resource officer.

MOM said if they belong to a union, victims of abuse should seek advice and assistance from their unions.

And in the case of physical harm, victims of abuse should report to the police immediately.
 

Editor's Note: A useless union such as NTUC did not even bother responding to our queries over such a serious incident, it is questionable as to whether they would really be able to help others who are bullied at work. What do you think?