$900 million plan to upgrade MRT system

Infrastructural, systems parts to be replaced over 8 years

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 25 Apr 2012

TRAIN operator SMRT is biting the bullet and changing a slew of components and systems on its ageing North-South and East-West lines in the wake of a spate of breakdowns.

The programme - the most ambitious and comprehensive in the company's 25-year history - will be rolled out over the next eight years.

It will cost an estimated $900 million, and will be co-funded by the Land Transport Authority. The amount includes previously announced plans to change the two lines' signalling system.

This is more than what SMRT had spent on repairs and maintenance in the last decade.

SMRT interim chief executive Tan Ek Kia announced this at a press conference yesterday. It was called to explain the string of five breakdowns that took place in the last two weeks, even as the Committee of Inquiry looking into SMRT's two major train disruptions last December entered its seventh day.

Mr Tan said the company has been ramping up its maintenance regime in recent months, but decided that this was not enough.

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Half of US college grads are jobless, underemployed due to weak job market

The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2012

WASHINGTON: The United States college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work.

Half of young college graduates have been left either jobless or underemployed, in positions that do not fully use their skills and knowledge, thanks to a weak labour market.

Now, an analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press lays bare the highly uneven prospects for holders of bachelor's degrees.

While there is strong demand in the science, education and health fields, the arts and humanities flounder. Median wages for those with bachelor's degrees are down from 2000, hit by technological changes that are eliminating mid-level jobs such as bank tellers.

Increasing numbers of young adults with bachelor's are now scraping by in lower-wage jobs - waiter or waitress, for example - and that is dashing their hopes that a degree would pay off despite higher tuition fees and mounting student loans.

Taking underemployment into consideration, the job prospects for bachelor's degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.

'Shock Therapy' - Wage fixes need to be sector specific: Ho Kwon Ping

By Ho Kwon Ping, Published The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2012

SINCE Professor Lim Chong Yah said that my speech and article on an interrupted wage revolution inspired his own 'Shock Therapy' proposals for radical wage hikes, many people have asked for my reactions. Here they are:

Prof Lim has made a convincing argument that income inequality in Singapore is serious and growing. However, I am not sure that this is the crux of the problem I have tried to identify. Income inequality is undoubtedly a growing global problem which has affected Singapore perhaps more, perhaps less, than other developed nations. Policymakers around the world must devise effective solutions and Singapore is no exception.

However, I am particularly concerned about a peculiarly Singapore problem: We have a two-tiered economy which is not sustainable. We have, on the one hand, a high-productivity and skills-competitive export economy (which includes not just manufacturing but also financial and other services) and, on the other, a low-efficiency, unsustainable domestic economy, which I define as all the businesses which essentially serve customers located in Singapore. By and large, these are small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in retail, construction, hospitality, cleaning, nursing, and the like.

The main reason for this sector's low wages and productivity is the liberal import of unskilled workers in this sector. And it is not sustainable because the increase of such workers required to satisfy the growing domestic economy will be inevitably greater than the ability of infrastructure, such as transport and housing, to keep pace. This is now apparent to regular public transport users.

MRT breakdown COI: Day 6

Train tunnels are now lit at all hours
Change made after Dec disruptions, when some commuters had to walk to the nearest station
By Maria Almenoar , Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2012

LIGHTS that illuminate MRT train tunnels are now on day and night.

This is a change from before the two major train disruptions of last December, when they were lit only after train service hours.

This emerged yesterday, Day Six of a hearing by a three-man Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the disruptions.

The issue of tunnel lighting came up when the committee questioned nine station employees who were manning stations between Dhoby Ghaut and Toa Payoh during the disruptions to service.

Singapore to build 5th industrial park in Vietnam

By Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia, 23 Apr 2012

Singapore has been given the green light to build a fifth industrial park in Vietnam, worth over US$330 million.

The 600-hectare project in Quang Ngai province will be developed along with a 520-hectare commercial and residential site.

It comes as both countries mark closer cooperation, with President Tony Tan Keng Yam's inaugural state visit.

Dr Tan witnessed a ceremony where Singapore was awarded certification to build the new industrial park in central Vietnam.

Singapore conglomerate Sembcorp will develop, market and manage the project.



It said that about 30 to 40 parties have already indicated interest in the park.

Phase one of the park should take shape within three years, when the first factories, and perhaps profits, will spring up.

Speaking at a state banquet, Dr Tan said the joint industrial undertakings symbolised a partnership based on trust, and testified to Singapore's confidence in Vietnam's future.

"As we celebrate the upcoming 40th anniversary of our bilateral relations next year, I am confident that our ties will continue to grow from strength to strength," Dr Tan said.

"Let us continue with our strong partnership to advance our common regional interests for the betterment of our peoples and the region."

3 ways to get netizens to be responsible: Yaacob Ibrahim at Singapore Press Club lunch dialogue 2012

By Tessa Wong, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2012

A MORE balanced and responsible Internet can be achieved if everyone - not just the Government - pitches in, said Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Yaacob Ibrahim yesterday.

Speaking at a dialogue organised by the Singapore Press Club, he outlined three ways to achieve the goal.

One is for the Internet community to create and uphold a code of conduct for responsible online behaviour.

There had been discussion on whether the Government should take the lead in producing the code, but he preferred a ground-up approach.

His reason: 'Because all of us have to decide how new media will help develop a good society and what values our young should grow up with.'

Asked later why he thought this was more feasible, Dr Yaacob said the community has evolved, and there are enough moderating voices online.

He disclosed that when the Government announced the idea of the code last year, some individuals had contacted his ministry to ask if they could take part in the process.

This, he said, shows 'there are people out there who want to make sure the Internet doesn't get killed by the downsides... and they are prepared to be part of the process'.



These downsides, he said, include how rumours and hoaxes can spread like wildfire online.

Dr Yaacob cited two recent cases.

One was the rumour that children were being kidnapped.

The other was of a boy being targeted by netizens for upsetting his neighbours with his noisy playing of the drums. It turned out later that they had fingered the wrong person.

Inflation hits 5.2% in March 2012

Spike in health-care and education costs
By Melissa Tan, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2012

INFLATION shot up an unexpectedly high 5.2 per cent last month as vehicle prices and housing rentals continued to escalate while rising wages added to health-care and education costs.

The sharp increase in the consumer price index (CPI), which caught out economists, reverses the trend of moderating inflation seen in the first two months of the year.

Prices rose 4.8 per cent in January and 4.6 per cent in February. The March figure raises the spectre of a further period of painful price rises.

Credit Suisse economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde said yesterday: 'It is by no means impossible that the headline rate hits 6 per cent in April... we believe the central bank's upwardly revised forecast of 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent for the year as a whole is in danger of being broken.'

The latest inflation figure also raises the possibility of further moves by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which announced last week it would let the Singdollar appreciate at a faster pace.

The MAS may need to allow the currency to rise further, which helps to combat imported inflation, said Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng.

But OCBC economist Selena Ling said allowing the currency to appreciate may not help bring inflation down as domestic inflation may continue to rise.

While the usual suspects, car prices and housing costs, were again the main inflation drivers, health-care and other domestic services saw higher than normal price increases, the Department of Statistics report showed.

Subsidy scheme: No 10-day wait in between GP visits

WE REFER to Ms Loo Yoke Chan's letter ('Senior blindsided by help scheme's restrictions at private clinic'; April 14) on her uncle's experience when he sought treatment at a private general practitioner clinic under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS).

Our checks with the clinic in question revealed that on her uncle's second visit, he had been assisted by a locum clinic assistant who was unfamiliar with the scheme, and had mistakenly told him that he had to wait for 10 days after each visit to be eligible for subsidy under the scheme.

There is no such requirement.

Maids urged to upgrade themselves

By Alvina Soh, Channel NewsAsia, 22 Apr 2012

Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Halimah Yacob has urged foreign domestic workers -- who would have one day off every week from next year -- to make use of the mandatory day off to upgrade themselves.

While some choose to spend their day off shopping or catching up with friends, some Indonesian maids had been spending two days every month -- for the past two to three years -- studying.

The 52 maids on Sunday graduated with high school or pre-university certificates.

Since 2009, 1,789 Indonesian maids have enrolled in the Sekolah Indonesia Singapura to brush up on their sewing and computer literacy skills, as well as English proficiency.

With the mandatory weekly day off for foreign maids kicking in next year, Madam Halimah said she hopes more maids will take advantage of the extra time they have, to acquire new skills.

Govt encourages more singles to get married

By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia, 22 Apr 2012

The government would like to encourage more singles to get married, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister-in-Charge of Population Issues Teo Chee Hean.

Mr Teo was speaking to the media on Sunday at a Babies Day Out event at the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

The event was held at the Sengkang Community Club.

"I am very happy to see that when couples get married, they do want to have children," Mr Teo said.

"What we need is an environment which is supportive of families and also, we need everyone -- community, parents, grandparents, family and friends to support young families to have children.

"There are really many initiatives and the government can only do so much. A lot really depends on individuals."

Encouraging married couples to have babies is a top priority for the government -- especially as Singapore's total fertility rate kept falling in recent years.

Singapore's fertility rate hit a record low of 1.15 in 2010.

But it went up slightly last year, to 1.20.

More than a hundred babies took part in Sunday's event.

Advisors from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC were there to congratulate winners of the various contests held in conjunction with the baby show.

The event also celebrated family life and parenthood in the community.

CDAC to help more low-income families

By Claire Huang, Channel NewsAsia, 22 Apr 2012

From May, self-help group Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) will raise its income eligibility criteria to help the bottom 20 per cent of the Chinese community.

CDAC is expected to set aside another S$600,000 to help an additional 1,000 low-income families.