Too many lawyers? Or too few?

Some say too many lawyers are being minted, resulting in a rush for training places in law firms. Others point out that there's a shortage of family and criminal practice lawyers. The truth is: It doesn't matter. Law grads can excel in banking or politics - and in the theatre.
By Simon Chesterman, Published The Straits Times, 1 Nov 2014

"THE first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Most lawyers are familiar with Dick the Butcher's line from Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2. Most also appreciate its double significance.

Typically the line is invoked in jest - a shorthand example of the many jokes about lawyers that accuse our profession of being something that society would be better off without. (What's the difference between a jellyfish and a lawyer? One's a spineless, poisonous blob. The other is a form of sea life.)

But Shakespeare was also highlighting the role that lawyers play as the guardians of stability and order, standing between society and the unruly mob. If you want chaos or to start a revolution, getting rid of the lawyers is a reasonable first step.

I was reminded of this during the recent discussion over whether there is a "glut" of lawyers in Singapore, as Minister for Law K. Shanmugam suggested in August.

The problem, as presented, is that not every Singaporean graduate with a law degree is getting a training contract, and not all those with training contracts are getting permanent jobs as lawyers.

To address this problem, a variety of solutions has been proposed. No one is suggesting mass slaughter, but most proceed from the assumption that there are too many lawyers entering the market. (What do you call 500 lawyers on the bottom of the ocean? A good start.)

Rail land dispute settled by tribunal

S'pore, KL look ahead as rail land tax issue is settled
Joint venture firm won't have to pay development charge, tribunal rules
By Zakir Hussain, The Straits Times, 1 Nov 2014

THE issue of taxes on land formerly owned by Malayan Railway has been amicably settled - and cited as an example of how disagreements between countries ought to be handled.

In its decision, an international tribunal said the Malaysia-Singapore joint venture company, M+S, need not pay a development charge on three parcels of former railway land.

The Singapore and Malaysian foreign ministries announced the decision - delivered by the arbitral tribunal on Thursday - in a joint statement yesterday. Both said they would abide by the outcome.

Both sides sent the matter for arbitration when they could not agree on whether the charge had to be paid for three plots of former railway land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji and Woodlands.

These plots, and three others, were swopped for six new land parcels in downtown Singapore in 2010. The new plots are being jointly developed now by M+S.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday morning that Singapore fully accepted the tribunal's decision. He said: "It allows us to put this matter behind us. I am happy that Singapore and Malaysia have been able to resolve this dispute in this impartial and amicable way.

"The full and successful implementation of the Points of Agreement (POA) in 2011 has paved the way for joint development projects and closer collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia. These include links in transport connectivity, and trade and investment. I look forward to making progress on them, and working with (Malaysian) PM Najib (Razak) bilaterally, and in Asean, to benefit both countries," he added.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman told The Straits Times: "We believe this is the way forward in dealing with disputes."

Observers said the mature manner in which the issue was settled was a model for how others could handle international disputes.

The issue was left over from the 1990 POA between the two sides, under which Malayan Railway's station would be moved from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands.

But this was held up over differing interpretations of POA clauses until 2010, when a landmark land swop deal between Mr Lee and his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Najib, broke the 20-year impasse.

7 new nursing homes as part of plan to meet needs of ageing population

By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 1 Nov 2014

WORK on seven new nursing homes will begin next year as part of a bigger plan to ramp up the supply of such facilities across the island.

Two will be in Henderson Street and Chai Chee Street, according to documents obtained by The Straits Times.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed that an 11-storey nursing home will be built in Chai Chee Street, opposite Bedok North Road. This will add 340 beds to the area, said a spokesman.

In Henderson Road, a five-storey facility will be built next to the Moral Welfare Home. It will have about 250 beds.

Both facilities are due to be completed in the next 17 months.

These moves are part of a national plan to raise the number of nursing homes and help Singapore cope with an ageing population.

MOH will increase the number of nursing home beds to 17,150 by 2020, up from 10,000 now.

Other areas lined up for new nursing homes include Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 and Choa Chu Kang North 6.

The ministry spokesman said it hopes to start building seven such homes in total next year.

It will construct the facilities, but some will be leased out later to health-care operators to run. MOH said in August that it might also run three to four of its own nursing homes.

MOH cuts down on clinics offering liposuction

It will be allowed only in hospitals, approved clinics
By Salma Khalik Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 1 Nov 2014

OUT of 29 clinics now offering liposuction, the removal of fat for aesthetic reasons, only nine will be allowed to continue doing so.

From March next year, liposuction treatment can be done only in hospitals or clinics approved for day surgery, under new Ministry of Health (MOH) rules to tighten control of this procedure and improve patient safety.

Liposuction has already led to at least two deaths here in the past five years.

Post by Ministry of Health.

In a statement issued yesterday, the MOH said: "As a highly invasive procedure, liposuction has been known to cause severe complications, including death. Hence, it should be carried out only by trained doctors in well-equipped and well-staffed facilities."

Under the new rules, the removal of more than one litre of fat from one spot will have to be done in a hospital as an inpatient treatment.

So will any liposuction for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 28 and below, or who require general anaesthesia. A BMI higher than 28 is considered obese in Asians.

Until now, these could be done at clinics licensed to do day surgery, which are called ambulatory surgical centres.

In future, these centres will be allowed to do only liposuctions that involve less than one litre of fat.

Push to raise skills, productivity in construction sector

New rule sets targets for hiring of higher-skilled workers
By Chia Yan Min, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2014

AFTER years of watching the construction industry falter on productivity, the Government has decided to introduce some tough love to get it up to speed.

Firms in this sector will soon need to have a minimum percentage of higher-skilled workers on their payrolls, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday.

He did so while acknowledging the patchy report card on productivity, ever since the Government set the ambitious target of raising it by 2 to 3 per cent every year by 2020. "Almost all the gains were achieved in 2010 when we were recovering from the recession."

Raising productivity was the only viable route for Singapore if it were to avoid a "zero sum game" between business and labour, he added. The alternatives were not pretty: either jobs would be lost, or prices would go up or wages would stay down.

And while some sectors have made an effort to raise their game, the construction industry remains a laggard, with its productivity in the first half of this year actually falling compared with last year.

"Construction must be transformed into an efficient and more integrated industry, led by progressive firms and supported by a higher-skilled workforce," said Mr Tharman at an event held yesterday to mark the end of the inaugural National Productivity Month.

The new rule could give it a push. It requires at least 10 per cent of work permit holders in each firm to be classified as higher-skilled, and will take effect from Jan 1, 2017.

The changes will be phased in over the next two years to give firms in the industry time to adapt. Those that fail to meet the targets will face curbs on hiring.

About 15 per cent of the 300,000 work permit holders in the construction industry are classified as higher-skilled, though these workers are unevenly distributed across firms.

To retain experienced construction workers in Singapore, Mr Tharman said firms will also be allowed to hire workers at the end of their work permit period without them having to first leave Singapore. This will take effect from June 1 next year.

Singapore Construction Association president Ho Nyok Yong said the changes will benefit construction firms in the long term, given that companies pay lower levies for higher-skilled workers.

Construction companies now pay $250 less in monthly levies for each higher-skilled worker. This difference will rise to $400 a month over the next two years.

Tan Su Shan of DBS named world's best leader in private banking

Meet world's best private banking leader, right here
Accolade from Financial Times publications a first for Singapore
By Yasmine Yahya Assistant Money Editor, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2014

IN A first for Singapore, a local banker has been named the world's best leader in private banking.

In her typical grounded style, DBS Bank group head of consumer banking and wealth management, Ms Tan Su Shan, said the accolade makes her very proud of her colleagues and what they have achieved at the bank.

The 47-year-old, who joined DBS in June 2010, led a transformation of its consumer banking and wealth management business. With the recent acquisition of Societe Generale's Asian private banking business, DBS has high net worth assets under management of $88 billion.

Where previously Singapore banks barely featured in a private banking landscape dominated by foreign giants, DBS now ranks among the top 10 players in Asia.

To Ms Tan, the award, presented by Financial Times Group publications PWM and The Banker, is a reflection of the hard work that her team has put into the effort. "They bought into the vision that we had of the wealth continuum, which is to start looking after clients from cradle to the next generation and move them up the wealth chain as we go along," she told The Straits Times in an interview yesterday.

Ms Tan began her career in banking as a fresh graduate of Oxford University in 1989, joining Barings Bank in London.

"They were looking for someone who spoke Chinese and Japanese and I qualified," she said.

She later moved to Barings' offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and China, before joining Morgan Stanley and then Citi, where she crossed paths with DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta, then Citi's country manager for Singapore.

The mother of two, a 14-year-old son and a 15-year- old daughter, said the next big thing she is focusing on is the Societe Generale business.

"The SocGen acquisition takes us to the next level. Our new colleagues have come on board and they've taught us things we were not good at before, brought a global perspective to our business."

DBS also beat other banks from around the world yesterday to be named the best private bank in use of technology. Ms Tan said this shows Singapore has arrived in the big league.

SGX move to mandate sustainability report long overdue

By Jessica Cheam, Published TODAY, 31 Oct 2014

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) made an announcement two weeks ago that may have slipped under corporate Singapore’s radar but will no doubt have long-lasting implications for a large swathe of these firms.

At the Singapore Compact CSR (corporate social responsibility) Summit held on Oct 17, SGX chief executive Magnus Bocker said the bourse will be mandating that all listed companies publish sustainability reports in a “comply or explain” approach.

It has embarked on a one-year study to work out what these reporting guidelines should look like. After this, a realistic timeline for the implementation is about two years, he said on the sidelines.

This announcement is a timely move and long overdue.

Elsewhere in Asia, such as in China, Taiwan and Malaysia, bourses mandate some form of sustainability reporting.

As a leading capital market, and given Singapore’s ambition and positioning as a global city leading on sustainable development, it is surprising that this has not happened sooner.

In recent years, SGX had hinted it may make this compulsory. It launched its Sustainability Reporting Guide for listed companies in 2011, but as Mr Bocker noted himself, take-up has been, frankly, slow.

There are about 770 listed companies in Singapore, and yet only 27 — a mere 3.5 per cent — produce sustainability reports, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) database showed. The GRI is the most widely-used sustainability reporting standard.

Mr Bocker noted that companies are waiting for SGX to get serious and make it a rule.

Well, that time has come.

What diplomats think of S'pore

New book compiles their praises and critiques
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2014

"MANICURED and choreographed."

That was how Pakistan's former high commissioner to Singapore, Dr Sajjad Ashraf, described the country to a compatriot in 2004 when he arrived here to start his four-year posting.

Ten years on, Dr Ashraf - who now calls Singapore home - is sticking to his first impression.

"Real progress can only take place with synchronised action. A good choreographer is able to draw the best out of the performers," he wrote in the book The Little Red Dot Volume III: Reflections By Foreign Diplomats On Singapore, which was launched yesterday.

Citing ballets and military parades, he said: "The choreography and the manicured performers enthral people. With its ambitions and achievements Singapore enthrals the world.''

He added: "A choreographer cannot allow one misstep, otherwise the performance becomes sloppy. This is how I see the leadership here performing and taking the country to its 'manicured' levels.''

Dr Ashraf, now adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and associate fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, concluded: "The Singapore story can only be felt by living amongst its people, by sensing its effervescence, self-confidence and its evolving identity."

His essay is among 61 contributions penned by former envoys from 43 countries.

Minister for Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam, speaking at the book launch in the National Library yesterday, said Dr Ashraf's story "underscored the complexity of state-society relations".

"Because we have lived in the rhythm of this 'choreography' all our lives, it is not always apparent in our daily hustle and bustle, though we should always remember that the contribution of every citizen keeps that rhythm going," he said.

Ambulances can use bus lanes in emergencies

WE THANK Mr David Goh Kia Ngan for his letter ("Why can't private ambulances use bus lanes?"; Monday).

Ambulances may use the bus lanes when ferrying patients in a medical emergency, and should have their sirens activated to signal this to other traffic.

Motorists are reminded to give way to all ambulances that have their sirens activated, as this indicates a medical emergency on board.

We will use this opportunity to remind all ambulance service providers that their vehicles may use the bus lanes.

Helen Lim (Ms)
Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
ST Forum, 31 Oct 2014

Elder abuse: MSF eyes law to better protect vulnerable adults

New legislation would give social workers greater powers of access to such individuals in cases of suspected abuse
By Laura Philomin, TODAY. 31 Oct 2014

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has announced its plan to introduce a new law by the end of next year, which would allow the state to intervene and better protect vulnerable adults who are unable to care for themselves or have been abused.

Post by Chan Chun Sing.

By plugging the gaps in existing legal framework such as the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), the new law would cover issues not stipulated clearly in the MCA, such as assigning vulnerable adults to public deputies who will act in their best interests on financial and health matters, said Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing yesterday.

It would also give social workers greater power of access to these individuals who are suspected to have suffered abuse or neglect.

Low-income expectant mothers to get more comprehensive support

By Elgin Chong, TODAY, 31 Oct 2014

A pilot programme to help vulnerable mothers and their young children has seen 23 families come on board since it was announced in July.

Known as Temasek Cares — Kids Integrated Development Service (KIDS) 0–3, the programme is the first of its kind in Singapore and aims to help 300 families with their children’s educational, social, physical and psychological needs from birth to the age of three.

Since the pilot began, 23 mothers and their children have benefited from the programme.

The pilot was launched officially yesterday by Temasek Cares, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre, with more details of the programme provided.

To qualify for the programme, the mother must have a per capita income of S$650 or less. She must also be a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident and live in Ang Mo Kio.

During the programme, a nurse will be assigned to teach the expectant mum basic childcare and family planning from her sixth week of pregnancy. Before the child is born, community health visitors will be roped in to aid with parent-child bonding until the three years are up.

And throughout the three years, social workers will be on hand to look into the psychological welfare of both mother and child.

To help the programme reach out to the targeted number of expectant mums, Temasek Cares has injected an initial seed funding of S$2.3 million to set up a Temasek Cares KIDS Centre, which provides parenting classes. The funds will also be used for the appointment of nurses, social workers and community health visitors, who will conduct periodic house visits.

More than 100,000 have used their Pioneer Generation card to see GPs, dentists

24,000 visit the dentist, armed with Pioneer card
Thanks to subsidy, many who have not had a teeth check in years are doing it
By Salma Khalik Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2014

MANY seniors who have not seen a dentist in a long time are getting their teeth checked and fixed, now that they have the Pioneer Generation (PG) card which gives them a subsidy of up to $266.50.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower, said last night that 24,000 people have used their cards for dental care since the subsidies kicked in last month.

Subsidies at GPs and dental clinics took effect on Sept 1 for 450,000 pioneer generation members - Singaporeans who are 65 or older this year and who became citizens before 1987.

Dentist Anthony Tay, who has a clinic in Geylang, has seen close to 30 patients with PG cards. "Two in three have not seen a dentist in many years," he said, adding that they had problems ranging from gum disease to cavities and missing teeth.

A few needed a complete set of dentures for either the upper or lower jaw. This costs $550, but with the subsidy, they paid slightly more than half the price, Dr Tay noted. And those who needed dentures for only two teeth paid $142, with the Government picking up $108 of the bill.

Dr Khor added that 85,000 people have used the PG card to see a general practitioner as they can get a subsidy of $28.50 to $135, depending on their ailment. The subsidy is capped at $540 per year for those with complex chronic conditions.

She was speaking to the media before the 15th dialogue session for 200 grassroots leaders, organised by the Ministry of Health and People's Association, which she said had helped to identify brewing issues and clarify them where necessary.

One such issue was confusion among pioneers who hold a Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) card, which entitles them to similar help at GP clinics. Those who have reached the limit of their Blue CHAS card, which gives them subsidies of up to $480 a year, will get only the balance - $60 more - in PG subsidies for the rest of the year, Dr Khor explained.

She said PG card holders who also have CHAS get higher subsidies in hospitals and polyclinics, so they should keep renewing their cards every two years.