Don’t try to second guess the Minister because your objective input matters greatly: Lawrence Wong to public officers
At the 2022 Annual Public Service Leadership Ceremony, DPM Lawrence Wong tells public officers not to second guess the Minister or try to propose something that they think the Government will find politically convenient to do. This is because the Government values their candid and forthright inputs. Their professional inputs matter greatly, the minister said. […]
99-year lease is only way to recycle land for future generations to buy BTOs
Today, over 80% of Singaporeans live in public housing. Compared to public housing in most parts of the world, our HDB flats and home ownership model is the exception rather than the norm. Singapore’s housing policies have been uniquely successful. We are the only major city in the world where nearly every young couple getting […]
WP Leon Perera promises to monitor population growth and speak up if necessary
Lately, the WP MPs appear keen to revive divisive issues. From Jamus to Leon Perera, they have made Facebook posts on particular issues they said were raised by ‘residents’. Leon Perera posted on population growth and said that they would monitor the growth and speak up if necessary. Population White Paper debate in Feb 2013 […]
Why in the first place was the PPP approach adopted for SportsHub and why terminate now?
It’s easy to criticise and ask why in the first place did the government choose Public Private Partnership. But we are looking back at a decision made some 20 years ago with the capabilities and expertise that we now have today, that we did not have 20 years ago. We need to understand that the […]
Is it true that Leong Mun Wai made bogus allegations against the PAP Government?
The Government did not spend a single cent to build Sports Hub. It is only right and fair that when the Government decides to terminate the Private Public Partnership (PPP) with SportsHub Pte Ltd, they should pay for the capital expenditure incurred by the PPP in the construction of Sports Hub. Anything less would be […]
What does it take for Singapore to be a ‘narco’ state like the Netherlands? Apparently not much.
You know the rule of law is being threatened when journalists covering the Marengo trial were asked to sign agreements not to name judges or prosecutors, for fear of them being targeted. This is the Netherlands. “I call The Netherlands a ‘narco-state 2.0’,” says Jan Struijs, chairman of the Nederlandse PolitieBond police union. “We aren’t […]
Section 377A: what led to the decision to repeal and where do we go from here
Why repeal? 377A have been struck down by the courts in other countries, including India. In Singapore, there had been 4 applications to the Supreme Court to challenge it as ‘unconstitutional’ based on Article 12 where all persons are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of the law. Though unsuccessful so […]
US-China relations: consequences from misses and accidents can happen and will be difficult to manage, says Lawrence Wong
The trajectory of the US-China relationship is very worrying, says DPM Lawrence Wong. Clearly, the relationship is entering more dangerous terriroty. The relationship was already strained before the Russia-Ukraine war. With the recent visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, tensions have gone up by one notch, Mr Wong said in an interview with Bloomberg News […]
Why we can’t try to fully offset the impact of global rise in prices with a strong Singapore dollar
Let’s understand why we cannot try to fully offset inflation with a strong Singapore dollar. The rise in prices that the world and Singapore is facing is the result of demand and supply factors and a tight labour market. 1. Demand factor The ease of pandemic curbs has released pent-up demand due to the curbs. […]
Wealth tax? The question has never been one of whether to tax wealth but how to do it effectively: Indranee
We have heard many stories of the asset-rich but cash-poor retiree who lives in a private property bought years ago when he was young. Now he is old and struggles to get by while living in a private property because he has little cash. Familiar story? Along comes the wealth tax. Well, good luck to this […]