Caregiver Support Action Plan: Raft of measures to help relieve burden of caregivers announced in Parliament on 13 February 2019

Aid ranging from new grant to respite care services to be rolled out over two years
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 14 Feb 2019

A slew of measures will be rolled out over two years to help Singaporeans who care for the old, the sick and the disabled.

These include a new $200 grant to offset costs of care, more respite care options and the loosening of restrictions on Medisave funds for people to help pay for their siblings' care.



The announcement was made by Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong at a marathon seven-hour Parliament session yesterday, during which 25 MPs and six office-holders spoke at length about the importance of helping Singaporeans age well and ensuring their caregivers receive adequate support amid a greying nation.

Many shared anecdotes of personal encounters with burnt-out caregivers who sought their help.

The measures in the new Caregiver Support Action Plan come four months after the Health Ministry said it was going to review the caregiver support system.

At least six measures to help ease the burden on caregivers will be launched under the plan, including a means-tested Home Caregiving Grant to be introduced by the end of this year.

The $200 monthly grant will replace the existing $120 Foreign Domestic Worker Grant, and will give caregivers greater flexibility in how to use the money. Anyone with permanent moderate disabilities will be eligible, regardless of age.

By the end of this year, people can also use their Medisave funds to pay for the healthcare expenses of their Singaporean siblings.

The Agency for Integrated Care, which coordinates eldercare schemes, will also launch three pilot schemes to expand respite care options. These include a night service for caregivers of dementia patients and a home-based service for cancer patients receiving palliative care.

It will also try out a pre-enrolment system at certain senior care centres and nursing homes so that respite services can be activated at short notice, if necessary.



The ministry will also set up more caregiver support networks and make it easier for people to access the services they need, said Mr Tong. More details will be given in the coming months.

By 2030, one in four Singapore residents will be 65 and older, and informal caregiving arrangements will grow as the population ages.

Given Singapore's demographic profile, Mr Tong said his speech focused mainly on help for those caring for the elderly "as a start".

But there is a "broad range of caregivers who operate in a variety of different circumstances and a very broad landscape", he added.

"Their needs are diverse, as with their own particular family or caregiving circumstances, so over time we will need to look carefully at what these needs are, and whether further assistance might be needed."

At yesterday's session, the MPs also recounted stories about seniors living their golden years with energy and aplomb as they discussed how to help this group age in good health and with financial stability.

Suggestions they made included providing more work and volunteering opportunities for seniors who want them and assisted living options in both Housing Board and private housing developments.

Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin neatly summarised the main thrust of the debate by noting how there has been much talk about the impending multi-billion-dollar Merdeka Generation Package to help Singaporeans born in the 1950s with their healthcare expenses.

"I think it is instructive to remember that merdeka means freedom and independence, and that is an aspiration I think we are all aspiring to, in the way we realise our older years as a nation," he said.

Trophy for coming in 8th?: National School Games changes for primary school students from 2019

Recent changes to the National School Games Junior Division will see more participants in sport being recognised. But does giving out broad-based awards blunt the competitive edge and the drive for excellence in sport?
By Nicole Chia, The Straits Times, 14 Feb 2019

Rafael Nadal, at 1.85m and 85kg, is afraid of the dark, dogs and thunderstorms. On losing, however, the 17-time Grand Slam champion has this to say: "Losing is not my enemy… Fear of losing is my enemy."

When his four-year unbeaten streak at the French Open ended in 2009 after a shock fourth-round defeat by world No. 25 Robin Soderling, Nadal said at the post-match press conference: "Sometimes you need a defeat to give value to your victories."

Perhaps, as the Spaniard uttered those words, one particular victory from the year before might have come to mind: his maiden Wimbledon title.

In his book Rafa, published in 2011 and co-written with John Carlin, Nadal describes how he "cried incessantly" for half an hour in the dressing room after his five-set loss in the 2007 Wimbledon final.

The Spaniard also admitted that the defeat had left him "utterly destroyed", and that it had continued to haunt him even as he contested another Wimbledon final a year later.



But the start of the fifth set during the 2008 final was when Nadal realised: "This was the moment in the match when that experience of defeat proved most valuable… (Back then) I hadn't been prepared to cope with the inevitable nerves and tension with the due measure of mental calm."

Armed with the memory of that defeat and its lessons, Nadal went on to win his first Wimbledon title in a nearly five-hour match.

Losses, no matter how painful, do not mean failure. There is value in defeat and there are lessons to be learnt from losing.

And the merit of these lessons must not be diminished with the changes taking place at this year's National School Games (NSG) junior division for children aged nine to 11.

The changes are part of an ongoing review of the NSG competitions, which started in 2015 and was completed last year.

One change, announced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) last month, will see recognition awarded to the top eight positions in some sports, instead of the top four. This is to provide more opportunities for student-athletes to experience success.

Criterion-based recognition will also be introduced for some sports, such as timings for track and field and the number of pinfalls in bowling. This is to "promote self-improvement, mastery and the importance of striving for goals based on objective targets", MOE said.



On the review of the NSG, Mrs Tan Chen Kee, MOE's divisional director of its student development curriculum division, said: "The review was started because, first, we wanted to look at our students' initial encounter with sports and how we can strengthen that - how we can make it a lot more enjoyable, less competitive and how we can adopt a long-term athlete-development view of things and... help the children slowly ease into the competition and the sports."

While making sport enjoyable is a worthwhile goal, some observers have questioned the wisdom of reducing the competitive element in school sports. Everyone can participate in sport, but if everyone is a winner, then no one learns from losing.

Admittedly, the stakes of the junior division competition are far lower than that of a Grand Slam tournament. But there is so much that even a child who places ninth can gain from competition, such as developing resilience and building strength of character.

There will also be changes in areas such as game formats, equipment and the use of substitutes. These changes were conceptualised and customised for schools in consultation with the National Youth Sports Institute, relevant national sports associations and Sport Singapore.

In implementing the changes to the award and recognition system, however, it is important to maintain a balance between recognising effort and coddling, and this responsibility should be shared by parents, teachers and coaches.

Why the bicentennial matters: Tan Chuan-Jin

When history leaps from textbooks onto our streets and into our lives
Take a pause. Take stock. And take part in activities to mark the bicentennial. Singaporeans should step up to own their collective journey from the past to the present.
By Tan Chuan-Jin, Published The Straits Times, 13 Feb 2019

Since taking office in Parliament just over a year ago, I've been jogging along the Singapore River whenever I can, familiarising myself with the sights.

Then in January this year, I noticed how the lone statue of Sir Stamford Raffles was joined by four others: Sang Nila Utama, Munshi Abdullah, Naraina Pillai and Tan Tock Seng. Not a moment too soon, I thought, given how the Singapore Bicentennial is going into full swing. The event commemorates 200 years since Raffles' arrival in 1819 that kick-started the development of modern Singapore.

The figures of all these pioneers sit just 20 paces from my office window in Parliament House. And they are just 100m shy of an archaeological dig round the corner at Empress Place, where archaeologists have dug up 700-year-old timber planks and pottery shards.

In fact, few may know that our Parliament grounds have also yielded artefacts from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, with some going back to the 11th century. A few of these sit in a glass case that all our MPs file past on their way into the Parliament chambers.

All around me is a constant reminder of history made, or in the making. And it can be quite moving, imagining how life unfolded through the centuries, around the places I work each day.

Clearly, even before Raffles and the East India Company capitalised on the potential of our little island, our forebears, along with scores of others in the region, also discovered Singapore as a place of refuge or opportunity, and similarly made their way here, whether 700 years ago or even earlier.

While so many passed through our shores, some stayed and made Singapore home, and yet others moved on. And for every encounter made on this island, surely, we have gained from the traded stories, journeys and shared experiences. I like to think that we have survived and flourished because of our openness to the people who came in, transited or remained.

As a former student of history, I do often consider: What if no one saw our potential as a landing point, a site for trade and exchange, a home? What if we hadn't appeared useful, to anyone? What if the economic issues of the time had tripped us up along the way? Or the weight of commerce had shifted and rendered our geopolitical position worthless?

The vagaries of fortune and opportunity could easily have relegated us to the backwater of history, irrelevant and forgotten except as a fascinating footnote.

I believe that at this juncture in our journey as Singaporeans, it is important for us to pause - for recall, reflection and renewal. This is critical for us to continue to move ahead. It informs us for the future.



This is why I'm looking forward to the slew of bicentennial events planned. They may seem to have flooded us in all directions, overwhelming at times, and perhaps indulgent to some, but I welcome them, if only because I'm convinced there is something in the entire package for everyone.

There are exhibitions and tours, talks and seminars, which promise a rich feast for the senses. Some of us may access our history and legacy better through a light show, some through a documentary or a research tome. The medium matters much less than the opportunity - and I'm hopeful the events and experiences will trigger rich reflection for all. But we must first take note of them and take part in them.

Should we commemorate our subjugation as a British colony? Should we be confident enough to remember this founding as a critical milestone and marker in our history? Did we not set in motion the pace of development that led to independence in 1965?

And in looking back to our past, why stop at 1819? Should we not go further back and give more credit to Sang Nila Utama, or Parameswara? Or should we dig even deeper into the annals of the early South-east Asian histories and study the intrigues and machinations that led to our being?

Singapore 50 years ago, and now: An Asian middle way?; Fruits of economic growth used to build fair, inclusive society, says Indranee Rajah

A Harvard professor with a long acquaintance with Singapore reflects on its socialist roots and says it should continue to show the world a middle way.
By Steven Kelman, Published The Sunday Times, 10 Feb 2019

In 1971, one year out of Harvard University, I spent two weeks in Singapore as part of my first trip to Asia. I had been lucky to win one of two "travelling fellowships" Harvard awarded to graduating seniors - allowing travel wherever one wanted, with the only requirement being to write a report when done.

Almost every winner used the fellowship to travel to Asia, because even then it was common for young Americans to travel to Europe, but much more so to Asia.

In Asia, Singapore was one of my longer stops along a route also taking me to Japan and India (one month each), Hong Kong (two weeks), Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia (one week each), and Nepal (three days).

The most interesting thing about my decision to visit Singapore at all, and to stay a full two weeks, was that it came about because of my admiration for the People's Action Party (PAP) government, which mixed strong opposition to communism with commitment to socialism.



Since junior high school, I had been very interested in politics. I had always been on the left, but at age 16, my path diverged from other political students in my high school because of disillusionment with Cuban leader Fidel Castro's embrace of dictatorship. I rejected the brutality and inhumanity of communism.

Instead, staying on the left, I became a convinced social democrat, in the tradition of the German Social Democrats, British Labour, and especially the Swedish Social Democrats.

Sweden was my first love then. An American writer in the 1930s had dubbed Sweden a "middle way" between communism and fascism. They had chosen a welfare state to promote equality and social justice while gaining the productivity and innovation benefits of keeping industry in private hands. I actually started studying Swedish in my junior year and had spent time there on a scholarship after graduating.

What brought me to this tiny speck of land 15,000km from America in 1971 was that Singapore became my second love.

This was a time when, in the context of opposition to the Vietnam War, Asian communism was on the ascendance. Many Western young people admired revolutionary leaders such as Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh and China's Mao Zedong. I learnt that Mr Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore had beaten back the communists, but remained an advocate of socialism.

In 1968, the first time I went to Sweden, Mr Lee spoke at the congress of the Socialist International, the organisation of social democratic parties. In 1970, the PAP re-affirmed its commitment to socialism, stating Singapore had made significant strides towards achievement of "our socialist goals, a more just and equal society". The PAP's frugal style and hatred of corruption, symbolised by the white garments activists wore, also appealed to me.

Stopping communism, promoting social justice, and being honest were noble causes for which the PAP was struggling. To me, Singapore was an Asian middle way, offering the world a path between communism and unfettered capitalism.

I wanted to visit to learn more. I had read about two social achievements, government-subsidised housing and its role in encouraging industrial development at Jurong.

While there, I gave myself a young social democrat's tour of Singapore.

Singapore's Government has not gone slack: Heng Swee Keat

Leaders will do what it takes to put things right
Heng Swee Keat rejects suggestion that political leadership has 'allowed the whole system to go slack'
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 9 Feb 2019

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday that the Government will not flinch from taking a hard look at itself each time there is a failure, and will do whatever is necessary to put things right.

But he rejected the suggestion that Singapore's political leadership has "allowed the whole system to go slack", gone "soft" on themselves and the public service, and failed to hold senior people accountable when things go wrong.

Mr Heng, the fourth-generation leader of the ruling People's Action Party, was responding to an editorial by Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao last week which he said raised serious questions that he and his colleagues will not shirk from addressing.

The commentary had pointed to complacency as one reason for a spate of lapses such as the SingHealth data breach, leak of HIV patient data and NS training deaths. It called on the Government to look at the deeper reasons for the lapses, to avoid systemic breakdowns and restore public confidence.

Mr Heng said: "We will not flinch from taking a hard look at ourselves each time there is a failure, and doing whatever is necessary to put things right. But I reject the suggestion by some that the political leadership has allowed the whole system to go slack. And worse still, that we have gone soft on ourselves and the public service, failing to hold senior people accountable when things go wrong."

In a 1,035-word commentary published in The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao today, he sought to show how the political leaders are working to strengthen the system, ensure accountability and put in place a culture of striving to do better.

He made the point that every generation faces its own set of challenges and serious incidents. But each time, the country's pioneers learnt the painful lessons, and put things right. These collective efforts have helped Singapore achieve a high level of development, he said.

Today, there are larger and more complex systems which have helped to improve lives, but also brought new risks, he added.

He cited the MRT network, where a new signalling system has been installed on the two oldest MRT lines, with new trains being purchased and rail lines built to increase capacity.

"We should have started renewing the MRT system earlier. But we have learnt from this experience and will keep on improving the system. We are not yet where we want to be. But surveys confirm that commuters have noticed the less crowded trains and more reliable service," he said.



On accountability, Mr Heng said failures will occur, and are investigated thoroughly when they do.

In serious cases, independent committees of inquiry are convened, and their findings, "however awkward, are made public". Individuals found culpable will be held responsible and disciplined.

He added: "If the lapse shows that the leader has been slack, negligent or incompetent, then serious consequences must follow, including removal."

But officials should not be routinely dismissed whenever things go wrong, as "doing so may give the appearance of solving the problem when that is not necessarily the case", he said.

At the same time, care must be taken that whatever actions are taken do not end up deterring public servants from innovation.

"If public officers had not dared to take risks for fear of being axed if things went wrong, we would never have built an exceptional country," Mr Heng said.

As for culture, he said each person must strive for quality and safety, and take pride in what he does.

"While some failures expose systemic weaknesses that must be fixed, others are caused simply by lax individual attitudes towards work," he said, highlighting the Japanese and the Swiss as examples to emulate.

"We must strengthen such personal mindsets at all levels of society... Though this imposes high demands on every Singaporean, we will persist on this path," he said.

"If we become complacent and slack, we are finished."

Merdeka Generation Package to include those who missed out on Pioneer package, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Those born in 1949 or earlier, and got citizenship by 1996, eligible for scheme that covers healthcare subsidies
By Tiffany Fumiko Tay, The Sunday Times, 3 Feb 2019

The beneficiaries of the Merdeka Generation Package will extend beyond the 500,000 Singaporeans born in the 1950s, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Besides these men and women whose resourcefulness, determination and sense of duty played a key role in shaping Singapore, some of those who did not qualify for the Pioneer Generation Package will also receive help for their healthcare needs, he said.

The Pioneer Generation Package, given out in 2014, was for Singaporeans born in 1949 or earlier and received their citizenship by 1986.

The latest move extends benefits to those who obtained citizenship up to a decade later. There are no available figures for how large this group is. They will join the Merdeka Generation - Singaporeans aged between 60 and 69 this year - who are eligible for the latest multibillion-dollar scheme.

* Merdeka Generation Package unveiled at Singapore Budget 2019

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat and Health Minister Gan Kim Yong will announce details of the Merdeka Generation Package in Parliament later this month, PM Lee said at a tribute event for about 200 members of the Merdeka Generation at Gardens by the Bay's Flower Field Hall.



The package was first announced during PM Lee's National Day Rally speech last year, where he coined the term "Merdeka Generation" to refer to about 500,000 Singaporeans born in the 1950s.

The generation "lived through the battles and upheavals of the Merdeka struggle", accepting hardships and making sacrifices to help shape post-independence Singapore, he said then.

The men of the Merdeka generation were among the earliest batches to do national service, while many women had to cut short their education to support their families and siblings in the early years of independence.



Like the $8 billion Pioneer Generation Package, the Merdeka Generation Package will cover subsidies for outpatient care, Medisave top-ups, MediShield Life premium subsidies and payouts for long-term care, but the benefits will be less.

This is because the later generation had more advantages in life in terms of education, lifetime earnings and Central Provident Fund savings, PM Lee had said last year.

He said yesterday, however, that the latest package would still be "substantial". Thanking them for their contributions, he said: "Our grandchildren enjoy educational opportunities beyond anything that our generation imagined.

"Our economy is more vibrant, our companies more prosperous, our jobs more fulfilling and rewarding, our social fabric is stronger... the Merdeka Generation played a big part in making all this happen."

He said members of the Merdeka Generation are now passing on the baton as Singapore faces new challenges, including keeping the economy competitive, preparing for an ageing population and maintaining social mobility.



More challenges will come, and Singaporeans cannot afford to take them lightly as success is never certain, warned PM Lee, who turns 67 on Feb 10 and is himself part of the Merdeka Generation.

"But neither have we any cause to be daunted, for as the Merdeka Generation has shown time and again, Singapore can and will come through, provided we pull together and tackle the challenges as one."

Passing down their life experience and survival values to future generations will do another great service to Singapore, he said.

"If future generations share your resourcefulness, determination and sense of duty - the Merdeka spirit - Singapore will continue to do well."

Launch of the Singapore Bicentennial: 1819 marked start of modern, multicultural Singapore, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

By Melody Zaccheus, Heritage and Community Correspondent, The Straits Times, 29 Jan 2019

Although a thriving seaport existed in Singapore as early as the 14th century, it was the year 1819 that marked the beginning of a modern, outward-looking and multicultural Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

That year was when the British arrived and made Singapore a free port. PM Lee said the move drew immigrants from South-east Asia, India, China and beyond to the island.

As well, it made trade Singapore's lifeblood and over nearly 150 years, helped to nurture political values, inter-communal relations and world views that "diverged from the society on the other side of the Causeway".

So, without 1819, the path to nationhood as Singaporeans know it today may not have happened, PM Lee said at the launch of the Singapore Bicentennial at the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Also, Singapore would not have had 1965, and it would certainly not have celebrated the success of SG50, he added, explaining why the bicentenary is worth commemorating.

"We are not just remembering Stamford Raffles or William Farquhar, though we should. We are tracing and reflecting upon our longer history, one that stretches back way before 1965. We are acknowledging and appreciating the broader context which shaped and created today's Singapore.

"This was our journey, from Singapore to Singaporean."



The Prime Minister, in elaborating on the journey, set out the milestones in the Singapore story, which goes back 700 years. He pointed out that Raffles did not "discover" Singapore, any more than Christopher Columbus "discovered" America.

By the time Raffles arrived in 1819, Singapore already had hundreds of years of history, he said, citing, among others, the founding of a kingdom here, around the 14th century, by Sang Nila Utama, who named it Singapura.

More support for kids with special needs, Govt to spend $60 million a year to subsidise families

Enhanced Early Intervention: Govt to spend $60 million a year to subsidise families in early intervention programmes, fund two new schemes
By Shabana Begum, The Straits Times, 29 Jan 2019

Families of children with developmental needs will have better access to early intervention programmes from April 1, with new subsidies that will cut the cost of government programmes for most families - some by more than half - as well as a broadening of income criteria to allow more to get help.

Two new programmes will be added to better meet children's needs as they change over time. One of them, for children under two, will involve a parent or caregiver's attendance. The other lets children who have made progress attend a mainstream pre-school while receiving enhanced support from EI professionals.

To cover the subsidies and fund the two new programmes, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced yesterday it will channel $60 million a year - 30 per cent more than $45 million currently - into early intervention.

The enhanced interventions are expected to benefit at least 4,500 children and their families.

"We believe that with good early intervention, targeted early intervention and affordable early intervention, these children stand the best chance to improve their developmental progress," said Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee after a visit to the Awwa Early Intervention Centre in Hougang yesterday.

"These children and their families need all the support that we can provide. We are going to reduce the cost of early intervention by increasing subsidies. On average, parents will see a reduction of on average of 30 to 70 per cent in fees."

Following the revised subsidies, EI fees will range from $5 to $430 per month, down from $5 to $780 per month currently.

Children under six with moderate to severe developmental needs - physical, sensory, and cognitive conditions as well as learning needs - now receive the same model of care under the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (Eipic) at Eipic centres.

The new Eipic Under-2s programme, to be rolled out from July at 13 centres, recognises that toddlers have different needs. A parent or caregiver must accompany the child, and will receive training in identifying and responding to the child's needs at home. Therapists and EI specialists will also make home visits at least once a month.

"This programme is also about caregiver support and counselling. The therapists will support the parents by helping them accept their child's condition, and at the end of the day, help them help their child," said MSF.

HIV-positive status of 14,200 people leaked online; Health Minister Gan Kim Yong explains actions MOH took over HIV data breach in ministerial statement on 12 February 2019

Data of 14,200 people diagnosed with HIV up to January 2013 leaked online by American fraudster who was deported from Singapore
The details of 2,400 at-risk contacts also leaked; American's doctor boyfriend had access to data
By Chang Ai-Lien and Fabian Koh, The Straits Times, 29 Jan 2019

Confidential information of 14,200 people with HIV - including their names, contact details and medical information - was illegally obtained and leaked online by an American fraudster who was deported from Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed yesterday.

Mikhy Farrera-Brochez was jailed in 2017 for several fraud and drug-related offences and lying to the Ministry of Manpower about his own HIV status.

His partner was Ler Teck Siang, a Singaporean doctor who was head of MOH's National Public Health Unit from March 2012 to May 2013 and had access to the HIV Registry.

He has been charged under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for failing to take reasonable care of confidential information regarding HIV-positive patients.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told reporters yesterday: "I am sorry that one of our former staff, who was authorised to have access to confidential information in our HIV Registry, appears to not have complied with our security guidelines, and this may have led to an unauthorised person gaining possession of the data and disclosing it online."

The records leaked included those of 5,400 Singaporeans and permanent residents diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus up to January 2013 - of whom 1,900 have died - and 8,800 foreigners diagnosed up to December 2011.

Each person's name, identification number, phone number, address and HIV test results were among the information leaked.

Details of 2,400 of their contacts - deemed to be at risk - were also leaked. "Our priority is the well-being of the affected individuals," said MOH. It started contacting affected individuals last Saturday, and has successfully reached more than 1,000 out of all 3,500 HIV-positive Singaporeans.



However, the information is still in the hands of Farrera-Brochez, who was deported after he had served his jail term. He remains outside Singapore.

It came to light that Farrera-Brochez, who was HIV-positive, had used his boyfriend's blood to pass medical tests so that he could work in Singapore, and also got hold of information illegally from the HIV Registry that Ler had access to.

Farrera-Brochez, 33, who was a polytechnic lecturer here, was sentenced to 28 months in jail in 2017 for offences including cheating and possession of drugs. Ler, 36, has been sentenced to two years in jail for abetment of cheating and for giving a false statement to a public servant. He is appealing.

The ministry learnt of the leak last Tuesday, and made a police report the following day.

Since 2016, it noted, additional safeguards against mishandling of information by authorised staff have been put in place, including a two-person approval process to download and decrypt information.



Mr Gan said MOH will not hesitate to take stern action against staff who violate security guidelines, abuse their authority or their access to information.

The Health Ministry has asked the public to call its hotline on 6325-9220 if they have any information regarding the incident or any concerns.

When contacted, the police said that they are seeking the help of their foreign counterparts in their investigations. They also reminded the public that any person who possessed, used or communicated any confidential information under OSA could face stern action.

Cross Island Line's first phase to be completed by 2029

29km stretch from Changi to Sin Ming will have 12 stations - four of them interchanges
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 26 Jan 2019

The first phase of the Cross Island Line - Singapore's longest fully underground MRT line - will be completed by 2029 and span 12 stations from Changi to Sin Ming.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday that the alignment of the 29km first phase has been finalised. When it is completed, more than 100,000 households will enjoy better access to the rail network and shorter travelling times.

Bright Hill, a station on the Thomson-East Coast Line, "will further expand to become an interchange station with the Cross Island Line".

Phase 1 will have three other interchanges - at Ang Mo Kio with the North-South Line, at Hougang with the North East Line and at Pasir Ris with the East-West Line.

The Cross Island Line, which links Jurong to Changi, will be Singapore's eighth MRT line. Mr Khaw revealed that its depot in Changi East will be a surface depot and not underground as originally planned.

He also announced that the first stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line - a three-station stretch from Woodlands North to Woodlands South - will open before Christmas this year. The rest of the line will open in phases up till 2024.



The Cross Island Line is forecast to have an initial daily ridership of 600,000, and eventually one million, making it Singapore's most heavily used rail line.

Construction of Phase 1 will begin next year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said. Stations will be designed and built to accommodate eight-car trains, but the line will operate with six-car trains initially.

The stations are in Bright Hill, Teck Ghee, Ang Mo Kio, Tavistock (Serangoon Gardens), Serangoon North, Hougang, Defu, Tampines North, Pasir Ris, Pasir Ris East, Loyang and Aviation Park.

Mr Khaw said the entire Cross Island Line will support hubs outside the Central Business District "so that jobs are nearer homes". It will also redistribute passenger load on the North-South, East-West and North East lines "so that the overcrowdedness that our commuters experience now will be eased".

Mr Khaw added that the new line will give commuters "more journey options" and "improve the resilience of our rail network".

The Cross Island Line will pass through Paya Lebar Air Base, which is slated to be relocated from 2030. An area of some 800ha will be freed up for residential and commercial developments. However, no station has been planned for this stretch.

Why are SP Group's electricity rates higher than retailers'?

Why electricity retailers' rates are better in the Open Electricity Market

Mr Albert Tang in his letter (Why are SP Group's rates higher than retailers'?; Jan 16) asked why electricity retailers are able to offer lower rates than the regulated tariff in the Open Electricity Market.

The regulated tariff, charged by SP Group and approved by the Energy Market Authority, reflects the long-term costs of producing and delivering electricity in Singapore, such as the costs of building and operating the power plants and maintaining the power grid.

On the other hand, the electricity rates offered by retailers typically reflect the current market conditions, level of competition and short-term costs of producing electricity.

Under current market conditions where electricity production capacity exceeds demand for electricity, we can expect market prices to be lower than the regulated tariff.

However, this may change over time based on market demand and supply.



Consumers should be aware that while the price plans offered by retailers are fixed for the duration of each contract, retailers, like all businesses, may adjust their prices and discounts over time.

Consumers who have switched to other retailers can also switch back to buying electricity at the regulated tariff from SP Group.

They should check with their retailers if there are any applicable charges when making this decision.

In the Open Electricity Market, consumers can also benefit from more choices and innovative offers, such as electricity generated from solar power, as well as value-added packages through bundled products and services.

Dorcas Tan (Miss)
Director
Market Development and Surveillance Department
Energy Market Authority
ST Forum, 23 Jan 2019

Singapore student takes on Mahathir at Oxford Union dialogue session on 18 Jan 2019

Darrion Mohan presses Malaysian Prime Minister on disputes between the 2 countries
The Sunday Times, 20 Jan 2019

A Singapore student at Oxford University took on Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last Friday, asking the elder statesman candid questions on the prickly diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Mr Darrion Mohan, a second-year history and politics undergraduate, began by saying that Singapore and Malaysia were "again embroiled in an unnecessary and potentially internecine maritime dispute", referring to the Johor chief minister's recent intrusion into waters off Tuas.

He then asked Tun Mahathir, who had earlier given his address at Britain's prestigious debating society, the Oxford Union, if any action would be taken against the chief minister.

"Would you not agree actions like this contribute to the perception that your government is pugnacious, that your government acts in bad faith and that your government... wants a return to the days of confrontational diplomacy and barbed rhetoric?" he asked.

Dr Mahathir did not immediately answer Mr Mohan's questions, and instead asked if he was a Malaysian.



Mr Mohan then sought to bring the discussion back to the issues he raised, listing the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail project, the airspace dispute over Seletar Airport, the proposed "crooked" bridge between Johor Baru and Singapore, calls to revise water supply prices and the maritime dispute as indicators that Dr Mahathir wanted a return to the "fraught relations with Singapore" seen during his first stint as premier between 1981 and 2003.

Dr Mahathir responded by saying that the 1962 Water Agreement between the two countries was unfair to Malaysia.

Singapore pays 3 sen (1 Singapore cent) per 1,000 gallons for its supply of raw water from Johor, and sells treated water back to Johor at 50 sen per 1,000 gallons. It costs Singapore RM2.40 to treat every thousand gallons of water. By selling at 50 sen, Singapore is providing a subsidy of RM1.90 per thousand gallons of water.

On the maritime dispute, Dr Mahathir confirmed that "the Menteri Besar went without our permission", adding that "he thought it was Johor waters, that's why he went there".

However, Dr Mahathir said Singapore's reaction to the intrusion was quite severe, "as if you are going to war", and described the waters off Tuas as international waters. "It is not Singapore water either, it is international water and the Menteri Besar can go into international water without Singapore sending warships to chase him away," he said.

Despite his questions not being fully addressed, Mr Mohan graciously surrendered the microphone to someone else to ask questions, but not before clarifying that the waters were not neutral and were Singapore's according to a 1979 map that Malaysia had tabled.



Dr Mahathir was later asked if he believed it was right for Malaysia to expel Singapore in 1965. Singapore merged with the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah in 1963 to form the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore left the federation in 1965.

"But the fact is that Singapore was a part of Malaysia before. It is our country," he said. "Normally, when a country decides to decolonise, the land goes back to the owner of that land, to the country that owns that land, that happened to Hong Kong and Macau and other places."

Dr Mahathir added: "But in our case, we find that people in Singapore are not compatible with the people in Malaysia. They have a different viewpoint, different ideas about how a country should be ruled, so it is for that reason that they were asked to leave Malaysia, and I think it was a wise decision at that time."