One size does not fit all

by Conrad Raj

Jun 18, 2012

TODAYONLINE

Like many other products, our property market caters to a variety of tastes and pockets.

The S'pore I don't want to see in 2032

From James Poh Ching Ping

Jun 18, 2012

I refer to Dr Jason Kho's I Say piece "The S'pore I want to see in 2032" (June 11), about the Singapore he still wants to call home in 20 years' time. In contrast, I wish to express what I do not want to see in 2032.

I do not want, the minute I leave my home, to have to pay to use the roads or the expressways.

[So you want free petrol, issit? In any case, don't, worry, in future ERP will be very friendly, you won't be charged the minute you leave your home. You will be charged before you leave.]

I do not want to see more independent secondary schools which further divide the rich and the poor, as it is obvious that their academic and enrichment programmes are costlier than those of other schools.

As a parent, I do not want children to be able to telephone the authorities to report that their father is spanking them, as is the case in some countries. In Asian society, it is a norm to discipline an ill-behaved child so long as it is not abuse.

[So you still want to have naughty children to spank?]

I do not want the Government to liberalise same-sex marriages, as it would go against the policy of encouraging a higher birth rate to maintain a good population size.

[So you want to make gays and lesbians produce children?]

I do not want to see more shoebox apartments and congested public housing, even though Singapore is land-scarce. Architects should be creative to maximise land use and ensure the right housing proximity, not like in Hong Kong.

[Hmmm... maybe you should rethink your gay marriage ban. Firstly, a good size population will require more apartments, and second, some of the best creative architects are gay. But if you ban gay marriage, they may not be here to apply their creative solutions to housing.]

I do not want to see a lack of social etiquette in public places, such as on public transport. It is rude, for instance, to use electronic gadgets so openly here, compared to Japan and in Europe.

[Ya! much better if they use it furtively. You know, like terrorists.]

I do not want to see more "Fine" signage. There should be a balance between legal and social discipline. Indeed, Singapore is an orderly society where most citizens are law-abiding.

[Of course, no need "fine" signage. You should have spanked the anti-socialness out of them!]

I do not want fast-food outlets to outgrow the traditional food court or hawker centre. Although Singapore has a busy workforce, it is equally important that health comes first.

I do not want any overuse of robots or productivity gadgets to the extent of replacing customer service personnel. We should continue to upkeep the Singapore spirit and show the world what is uniquely Singapore through our people.

[er... that we are uniquely technophobic? You do realise that many of our customer service personnel over the phone are in India?]

I do not want to see a place where one could only survive or succeed with academic achievements and wealth. There should be space for people with skills and who are hardworking enough to make one's day worthwhile.

[My suggestion is that on Dec 31 2031, if you are still alive, you should poke out your eyes. This will guaranteed that you will not see all those things you don't want to see.

People have a vision for the future. Only a "unique Singaporean" can turn his complaints into a non-vision. Bravo! you have managed to set a new low for what is often criticised as Singapore's lack of vision.]

Have alternative NS for new citizens, PRs

May 12, 2012

I SUPPORT the views of Dr Leong Chan-Hoong ('Bridge the foreign-local gap with NS'; Wednesday) and would like to add a suggestion.

Health warnings on cigarette packs signal moral progress, not 'nannying'

May 2, 2012

DR ANDY Ho's commentary ('Lessons on smoking from the nanny state'; last Saturday) claims that health warnings on cigarette packs are paternalistic in the sense of 'nudging' individuals to stop smoking, and are founded on an undesirable premise that people are not assumed to behave rationally.

[Such a poor summary of Dr Ho's article!]

Firm dollar ineffective against real inflation

Apr 25, 2012
TODAY
Letter from Teo Hoon Seng

WITH headline inflation up again, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is expected, again, to use foreign exchange policy to combat it. At some point, one has to wonder how effective, if at all, this has been.

To cite some daily examples, the papaya I used to buy at S$1 now averages S$2; a small pack of vegetables that used to retail at 60 cents at FairPrice is now 69 cents; a brand of peanut butter that cost S$7.70 six months ago is now S$10.15.

The list goes on. And these do not include items repackaged in smaller quantities but sold at the same or slightly higher prices.

The MAS should consider using the good, old-fashioned interest rate tool.

Not only would this bring some relief to long-suffering pensioners, who receive next to nothing for their savings, it should go some way towards cooling our property market, where prices have been exacerbated by our monetary policy.

If inflow of hot money is a concern, there are ways to pre-empt it, such as prohibiting the parking of such funds in an interest-bearing account.

[A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Yes, one way to combat inflation is to raise interest rates... if the problem is over demand. If demand is overheating your economy, then you raise interest rates to slow down spending, and at the same time encourage savings. The high interest rates also help to ensure that your savings do not lose value while sitting in the bank.

But, here is the problem.

There are 1.2 billion people in China who has just started to get a little rich. They are eating better food, eating more food, using more modern gadgets, needing more electricity, travelling abroad on holidays, buying more cars and more consumer goods. All these means more raw materials are being sold to China, and all those goods needs to be transported to China, so fuel prices goes up, transport costs goes up, and your 60 cents veggies now cost 70cents. China eats more peanuts. Your peanut butter costs more because the prices of raw peanuts have gone up and the cost of transporting the final product to you have gone up.

How will raising interest rates help?

Even if we raise interest rates and somehow people decide that it makes more sense to save the money, cut back on spending, and don't buy as much (which is what higher interest rates are supposed to do), it'll just mean that what you don't buy will just go to China or somewhere else where it is wanted.

And higher interest rates means higher cost of borrowing, which means higher investment costs, which will curb investment in new machines or factories or shops and that in turn will curb business and the economy might slow down or even shrink. And with high interest rates, the projection is that the economy should shrink. So raising interest rates now is just silly.]

REPLACING MCs

Apr 27, 2012

Replace MCs with honour system


I AM a doctor in a public primary health-care institution, and am currently on a six-week attachment at a hospital in San Francisco to learn some of their best practices. My hosts here have heard many good things about Singapore and its health-care system and are as keen to learn from me as I am from them.

Rationale for continued immigrant influx flawed

Apr 28, 2012
Todayonline
Letter from Andrew Teo Neng Wee

I READ the report "Which path to take?" (April 25) with interest. However, I spotted two fallacies in the argument for more immigrants.

Firstly, the National Population and Talent Division stated that by 2030, without new citizens and the total fertility rate remaining at 1.2, there would be 2.1 working-age citizens to each elderly citizen.