Closing Speech by NTU School of Communication and Information Valedictorian.

P.S. Watch for the expletive ‘f**king’ at the end of Ms Trinetta Chong’s speech.

“Changes in two aspects of PAP policies can help build more trust: ministerial salary, and being more open about national reserves.

“The forumula used for benchmarking ministerial salaries to top earners in the private sector is perceived as [...]]]> Excerpt of Mr Ngiam Tong Dow’s article in The Straits Times of 2 July 2011 (Page A36):

“Changes in two aspects of PAP policies can help build more trust: ministerial salary, and being more open about national reserves.

“The forumula used for benchmarking ministerial salaries to top earners in the private sector is perceived as a case of heads you win, tails we lose. Worse, it is regarded as self-serving…

“There is considerable misunderstanding over the governance of Singapore’s reserves. Few people understand just what the reserves are composed of and which agency is responsible for which portion of the funds.”

Source: The Straits Times 2 July 2011 (Page A36)

I ask:

Are you really so ‘soft’? On the other hand, are you really such an ‘authoritarian’? Are you content to be known this way to your people? If not, how?

The answer comes back from the coughing LKY without irony or apology:

‘Authoritarian’ [...]]]> Source: ‘Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew’, a book by Tom Plate

I ask:

Are you really so ‘soft’? On the other hand, are you really such an ‘authoritarian’? Are you content to be known this way to your people? If not, how?

The answer comes back from the coughing LKY without irony or apology:

‘Authoritarian’ means one has not got the consent of the people to your politics. My policies have been endorsed by the electorate every four to five years by a clear majority, never below 60 percent. I do not consider myself authoritarian.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/FallenSuperheroSG

Letter by Ms Debi Lin

When I made a mid-career switch to the Ministry of Education (MOE) as a teacher recently, I had to sign a teaching bond that required two sureties.

As one key requirement was that the sureties had to be under 55 years old, [...]]]> Source: The Straits Times, Page A44, 17 December 2010

Letter by Ms Debi Lin

When I made a mid-career switch to the Ministry of Education (MOE) as a teacher recently, I had to sign a teaching bond that required two sureties.

As one key requirement was that the sureties had to be under 55 years old, I appealed to the ministry for an exemption to the age bar because my first guarantor was my 60-year-old mother…

The ministry rejected my appeal, reiterating the age-limit requirements…

As a nation with one of the highest life expectancies, coupled with a fast-growing ageing population, we have been encouraged repeatedly to continue working to the extent that there is supposed to be no retirement age.

Yet the signals we receive are contradictory.

PHOTO: SSC

The trunks, featuring the crescent moon and five stars on the front, and the word Singapore on the back, were designed by the players just for these Games and were meant to be eye-catching. Unfortunately, it has also raised eyebrows. At issue is the ‘suggestive’ positioning of [...]]]> Source:  http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_606933.html Retrieved 28 Nov 2010

PHOTO: SSC

The trunks, featuring the crescent moon and five stars on the front, and the word Singapore on the back, were designed by the players just for these Games and were meant to be eye-catching. Unfortunately, it has also raised eyebrows. At issue is the ‘suggestive’ positioning of the crescent moon over the crotch.

The Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (Mica), which governs the use of the national flag, revealed that the team did not seek its advice or approval for the design. ‘We would have told them that their design is inappropriate as we want elements of the flag to be treated with dignity. This is because many Singaporeans recognise these elements as representing the Singapore flag,’ said Ms Carol Tan, director of Mica’s resilience and marketing division.

Nineteen young people aged 10 to 19 committed suicide last year, up from 12 in 2008. Among those aged 20 to 29, there were 72 deaths, up from 52 in 2008.

Overall, 401 people killed themselves last year, up from 364 in 2008. Suicide rates also rose in [...]]]> Source: The Straits Times, Page C10, 10 September 2010

Nineteen young people aged 10 to 19 committed suicide last year, up from 12 in 2008. Among those aged 20 to 29, there were 72 deaths, up from 52 in 2008.

Overall, 401 people killed themselves last year, up from 364 in 2008. Suicide rates also rose in tandem, from 8.76 per 100,000 residents in 2008 to 9.35 per 100,000 residents. 

Letter by Weiwen Yang

Born and raised in Singapore, I have spent the past eight years in Australia. On the cusp of completing my postgraduate studies in clinical psychology, I have a major life-changing decision to make: Where do I go from here?..

While money is not [...]]]> Source: The Straits Times, Page A31, 27 May 2010

Letter by Weiwen Yang

Born and raised in Singapore, I have spent the past eight years in Australia. On the cusp of completing my postgraduate studies in clinical psychology, I have a major life-changing decision to make: Where do I go from here?..

While money is not the sole motivating factor for me, it is important to help me maintain a preferred lifestyle. So it is hard when the pay being offered in Singapore pales in comparison to the one I am being offered in Australia…

I admit I have become a little disconnected with home country in my time in Australia. And although I do not shy away from identifying myself as a Singaporean, I have also embraced the Australian way of life and grown fond of the country and its people…

Upon returning to school full time, she fought a losing battle with the school administration to provide her and other mothers-to-be with a place for expressing milk…

But when performance bonuses were given out, she was not only given a pro-rated bonus (which I understand), but also [...]]]> Source: The Straits Times, Page A19, 17 May 2010

Upon returning to school full time, she fought a losing battle with the school administration to provide her and other mothers-to-be with a place for expressing milk…

But when performance bonuses were given out, she was not only given a pro-rated bonus (which I understand), but also a lower performance grading.

While I am very grateful for the increased maternity benefits a young family now receives, I would like to highlight that there seems to be a contradiction when Singaporeans are encouraged to have more babies, but mothers are penalised when trying to concurrently be both good mums and good workers.

She is now expecting her second child and I won’t be surprised if she leaves the teaching service.

Reported cases of girls aged 14 and below having sex

Number of teenage births

Number of teenagers diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections