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PAP conference: GE2020 shows voters want PAP back in power; party will work harder as political contest intensifies, says PM Lee

aseanpr 8 11 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Voters in the July general election sent the "unequivocal signal" that they wanted the People's Action Party back in power, even as they felt the pain of the downturn and wanted more alternative voices to check the government, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday. The PAP will act on feedback given by activists on its campaign, he added, stressing that the party that must have the backbone and conviction to fight for its beliefs as political competition intensifies. "All these years, people have been with us because they knew we had backbone: We will fight even with our backs to the wall, and we will never let them down," Mr Lee said in a virtual address to activists at the PAP's biennial conference. "That's how we have been able to win support for our ideas and plans, and shown Singaporeans that we remain the best team to secure their future." Going over the PAP's showing in the recent general election, Mr Lee said the results fell short of the party's expectations, but were not completely surprising. It won 83 out of the 93 seats in Parliament with just over 61 per cent of the popular vote, in the lower range of its projections, and lost the newly-formed Seng...

PAP conference: Lawrence Wong, Desmond Lee elected to party’s top committee for first time

aseanpr 8 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Education Minister Lawrence Wong and National Development Minister Desmond Lee have been elected to the People's Action Party's top decision-making body for the first time, reflecting the acknowledgement by party cadres of their prominence on the national stage. Both men, who are seen as key members of the PAP's fourth-generation leadership team, were co-opted into the central executive committee (CEC) at the last biennial party conference in 2018. Mr Wong has won plaudits in handling the Republic's response to the pandemic, as co-chair of the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19. Mr Lee is co-chairing a separate taskforce to help Singapore's economy emerge stronger from the crisis. More than 3,000 party cadres voted on Sunday (Nov 8) at the PAP's biennial party conference, with the top 12 nominees elected to the CEC for a two-year term. The other CEC members, in no particular order of the votes they received, are Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Mr K. Shanmugam, Mr Ong Ye Kung, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Ms Grace Fu, Mr Masagos Zulkifli and Mr Gan Kim Yong. The 12 CEC members were elected by secret ...

PAP conference: Govt will pay attention to lower-income groups, address competition from foreigners while keeping economy open

aseanpr 8 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Government will pay special attention to lower-income groups as it leads Singapore though the Covid-19 crisis and helps its economy recover, pledged Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Speaking at the biennial Peoples' Action Party conference on Sunday (Nov 8), Mr Lee also said that balancing the competition Singaporean workers face from foreigners in the labour market with the need for its economy to be open is also something leaders here will have to focus on. He was speaking at the biennial PAP conference, where cadre members voted to elect the party's central executive committee (CEC), its top decision making body. A big worry about the coronavirus pandemic is that it would undo years of progress made to level up low-wage workers, noted Mr Lee, adding that the Government will work to tackle inequality in Singapore's society. "In Singapore, you may start off poor, but if you work hard, and do your best, you have a good chance of doing better in life. We must prevent low-income households from being disproportionately hit by Covid-19," he said. This cannot be done through "glib slogans or half-baked proposals" but with practical support measures, he added. Mr Lee held...

PAP conference: Vital to strengthen ties between PAP and NTUC as S’pore tackles Covid-19 crisis, says PM Lee

aseanpr 8 11 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - People's Action Party MPs who serve as advisers to various unions should go beyond advising and help out on the ground and engage workers directly, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Nov 8). The PAP should also recruit more union leaders to join it, and have more party activists within the unions so that ties are kept warm and close at the working level, said PM Lee, who is the party's secretary-general. In making these points, he stressed how it is especially vital to strengthen the partnership between the PAP and the National Trades Union Congress in a time of crisis. Ties between the ruling party and labour movement remain very strong at the leadership level, he said, but the engagement is "not as deep" on the ground between PAP branches and individual unions as well as union branches. Urging PAP MPs to engage workers, he said: "That way when worker issues arise, PAP MPs and leaders will have a solid feel and understand the ins and outs of issues and why workers are worried, what their concerns are. And PAP MPs can speak up on behalf of workers in Parliament, and show them that they have a voice in the PAP." PM Lee was speaking at the biennial PAP confere...

HIV patients can now start treatment on day of first appointment

aseanpr 8 11 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Patients who are newly diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will no longer have to wait up to eight weeks before starting treatment. Instead, waiting time for treatment with life-saving antiretroviral medication has been cut to up to four days. The National University Hospital (NUH) is the first hospital to start the Same-Day Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) programme, which began on Sept 1 this year at the hospital's Multidisciplinary Infectious Diseases Clinic. Dr Dariusz Piotr Olszyna, HIV programme director in NUH, explained that obtaining early treatment will help to reduce the anxiety of newly diagnosed patients and also lower the risk of HIV transmission in the community. This programme will bring NUH closer to its goal of ending the HIV epidemic in Singapore by 2030, he added. The first patient was enrolled on Tuesday (Nov 3). Speaking to The Straits Times on the condition of anonymity, he said he felt positive and less anxious after taking the medication, and hopes to achieve the target result of an undetectable viral load as soon as possible. Dr Olszyna, who is also head and senior consultant at the Division of Advanced Internal Medicine in NUH, advis...

Police investigating 268 alleged scammers and money mules after islandwide operation

aseanpr 7 11 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - More than 250 people are being investigated for being alleged scammers or money mules following a two-week enforcement operation by the police. Those under investigation comprised 177 men and 91 women, aged between 15 and 73. In a statement on Saturday (Nov 7), police said victims purportedly lost over $3 million to the suspects, who are believed to be involved in 542 cases, comprising largely of loan, e-commerce and Internet love scams. The police said the islandwide operation was conducted between Oct 24 and Nov 6 by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and the seven police land divisions. Anyone convicted of cheating under section 420 of the Penal Code can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined. Those convicted of money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and other Serious Crimes Act (Confiscation of Benefits) Act) can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000. Police have reminded the public that they can avoid being an accomplice to crimes by always rejecting requests to use their bank account or mobile lines otherwise they will be held accountable if these are linked to illegal transactions. More on this topic Related Story...

Lawyers spar over comments allegedly made by Shanmugam concerning Chief Justice

aseanpr 7 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam has rejected allegations that he had said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam told him that the minister "wields influence over" the Chief Justice of Singapore. In a letter addressed to Mr Shanmugam and made public in a Facebook post on Friday (Nov 6), Mr Thuraisingam wrote that "there is absolutely no truth whatsoever" to the accusation, which also includes claims that Mr Shanmugam had said that he "calls the shots and controls" Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. The allegation was first made three years ago by lawyer M. Ravi in 2017 in a Facebook post, in which Mr Ravi said he had records of the conversation, and resurfaced by Mr Ravi in another Facebook post on Friday. According to Mr Ravi's version of events, Mr Thuraisingam had related the offending comments over drinks at Chijmes in 2017. He also wrote that Mr Thuraisingam has more than once repeated similar statements made by Mr Shanmugam. "I have heard this thousands of times when he gets drunk," he wrote. Mr Ravi told The Straits Times on Friday night that he stood by his statements and was prepared to bring the matter to court. "From my experience of Menon (Chief Justice Sundaresh...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Nov 7

aseanpr 7 11 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, Nov 7. Biden close to US election victory as Trump presses on with legal bids; Georgia recount likely Biden's lead in Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, is expected to grow as mail-in ballots come in. READ MORE HERE Some S'pore night spots under pilot to reopen by December This comes about nine months into the closure of nightlife venues. READ MORE HERE The Disunited States: The widening gap that faces the winner of the US election It would take an extremely optimistic voter to believe that any sort of reconciliation is possible. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news State of play: A look at the key battleground US states The states are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. READ MORE HERE Ah Ma, are you on WhatsApp? Rapid digitalisation may be leaving some vulnerable groups behind The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of techn in some areas but may have also widened the digital divide. READ MORE HERE Passengers board first cruise to nowhere out of Singapore These round-trip cruises, without ports of call, are taking place under a pilot STB pro...

Ah Ma, are you on WhatsApp? Rapid digitalisation may be leaving some vulnerable groups behind

aseanpr 7 11 月

1 minute

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in some areas, but this rapid shift may be leaving some vulnerable groups behind. We speak to experts and people from four groups in the 'digital extremities' to examine the issue of a widening digital divide. While the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation in some sectors, it has also raised concerns that vulnerable segments of society are being left behind in a so-called digital divide. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Quest to bridge the digital divide

aseanpr 7 11 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - While the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation in some sectors, it has also raised concerns that vulnerable segments of society are being left behind in a so-called digital divide. In the absence of a clear measure of the digital divide here, there are some official figures that suggest there could be some who fall through the cracks. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

800 low-income families to receive healthy food and resources on nutrition

aseanpr 6 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A new initiative was launched on Friday (Nov 6) to help about 800 families better prepare meals for their children. The families will each receive a care pack of healthy food items, including food for babies and for children of pre-school age, such as multigrain baby puffs, multivitamins and milk. The initiative, called Healthy with KidStart, is a collaboration between insurer Prudential Singapore and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). Of the 800 families, 120 had also been supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables in October and will continue to receive these in November and December. Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Education Sun Xueling, who attended the launch at Prudential's office at Marina One, took part in a cook-off with Prudential Singapore chief executive officer Dennis Tan. Ms Sun made a cucumber and egg pita pocket, while Mr Tan made a vegetable and tuna sandwich. The 800 families are under ECDA's KidStart programme, which provides child development, health and social support for low-income families with children below the age of seven. Prudential is one of the community partners that ECDA works with to provide additional s...

Robinsons’ closing down sale begins on Friday

aseanpr 6 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Robinsons will begin its storewide sales on Friday (Nov 6) at its last two stores in Singapore at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre. There will be a storewide discount on fashion, beauty, homeware, accessories and travel items, said marketing agency BWP Group on Friday. "Everything has been reduced and must go... customers are encouraged to take advantage of these fantastic discounts while stocks last," it added. When contacted, a BWP spokesman said the sale would continue until all stocks were sold. The retailer's appointed liquidator, KordaMentha, has confirmed this announcement, adding in an update on Thursday (Nov 5) that customers who have ordered Simmons, Sealy, Serta or King Koil mattresses from Robinsons and have paid in full can expect these to be delivered. A fifth mattress company, Mattress International (MaxCoil), said that customers who have made a full payment should approach their bank to cancel it. After they redirect their purchases and make payment to MaxCoil, their orders will be fulfilled. KordaMentha added on Thursday that discussions with other mattress suppliers are ongoing and it will provide updates when they are available. As at 4pm T...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Nov 6

aseanpr 6 11 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, Nov 6. US election: Biden urges patience, Trump mounts legal bids as White House race narrows Biden is 6 electoral votes away from the minimum of 270 needed to win. READ MORE HERE MOM won't take further action against Liew Mun Leong's family over illegal deployment of Parti Liyani MOM had initiated a review of the case and conducted further investigations. READ MORE HERE Trump campaign loses legal fights in Georgia and Michigan, vows Nevada lawsuit One judge said there was “no evidence” that ballots were invalid. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Trump, Biden supporters stage protests across US, as vote tally trickles in Ballot counting drags on in a handful of states that will decide the election. READ MORE HERE US presidential election: The pandemic may have the last laugh The coronavirus crashed Trump’s booming economy and drove a surge in mail-in ballots. READ MORE HERE HSBC sues Lim family, saying they 'fraudulently deceived' bank into lending US$111.7 million to Hin Leong It's the first bank to take legal action against oil tycoon Lim Oon Kuin to recov...

Green finance seen as key in Singapore’s climate change fight

aseanpr 6 11 月

4 minutes

To ensure economic growth and fight climate change at the same time, Singapore needs to leverage green finance and mobilise capital for low-carbon investments, said Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan yesterday. And to succeed in its efforts, the country also needs to plan ahead for a smooth transition to low emissions and build resilience against environmental shocks, he added. "Covid-19 has accelerated pre-existing trends, including rising protectionism, rising inequalities and global warming," Mr Tan, who is also Minister of State for Home Affairs, noted in his speech at the European Union-Singapore Dialogue on climate change. But it has also slowed activities. "Companies should use this period to consider implementing energy efficiency improvement projects so that they can be more cost-competitive and emerge stronger from this crisis," he said. To implement these, they can tap the Economic Development Board's Resource Efficiency Grant for Energy as well as the National Environment Agency's Energy Efficiency Fund, Mr Tan added. Pointing to green finance, he said it is a "critical enabler of green growth" that allows companies to support sustainab...

Universities need to be more transparent about sexual misconduct

aseanpr 6 11 月

1 minute

The recent case of the National University of Singapore (NUS) firing one of its staff for alleged sexual misconduct highlights the need for institutions to take the lead in the national conversation about this matter. On Tuesday, in response to MPs' queries in Parliament, Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education, revealed that institutes of higher learning - including polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education - handled 172 cases of sexual misconduct by students and staff in the past five academic years. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Nursing home staff tested for Covid-19 once every two months as part of surveillance measures: MOH

aseanpr 5 11 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Nursing home staff in Singapore are now being tested for Covid-19 once every two months as part of measures to ensure that senior citizens in the homes are kept safe from the virus. In response to queries from The Straits Times, a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman said that all nursing home providers will complete one round of testing of all staff every two months as part of a regular surveillance testing programme that began in the last days of October. There are about 9,000 nursing home employees here and 16,000 residents. Surveillance testing of nursing home residents will also be conducted in the coming months, added the spokesman. The ministry will also study how to introduce testing for other groups that interact with nursing homes, such as volunteers and external vendors, as other methods of testing - like Antigen Rapid Testing - emerge. "This will help maintain the level of protection for seniors in nursing homes, in the light of the higher risks that can come with the overall safe reopening," said the spokesman. All nursing home staff and residents underwent one round of mass testing in May as a precautionary measure. At the time, the mass testing exercise als...

Chinese citizen sentenced to 14 months’ jail, $2,000 fine for forging passport stamps, illegal stay

aseanpr 5 11 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - For more than three years, Chinese national Chen Bichun paid for new forged passport stamps in order to remain in Singapore illegally to work as a sex worker. Her illicit stay started on March 19, 2016 and came to an end on July 23, 2019, when she was finally caught in a Balestier hotel room during a police raid. On Thursday (Nov 5), Chen was sentenced to 14 months' jail and a $2,000 fine for two charges, one under the Immigration Act and another for the forged documents. One other similar charge was taken into consideration during sentencing. The court heard that her passport contained 19 entry stamps and an application to extend her short-term visit pass, all of which were forged. Investigations found that Chen came to Singapore on March 4, 2016 and was granted 14 days of stay on a social visit pass. A friend then told her that she could help her stay in Singapore and make it seem to the authorities that Chen's stay was legal. Each extension would cost $200 and last about two months. Chen agreed to the arrangement. After her friend was arrested in April 2017 and repatriated to China, Chen started getting contacted by an unidentified person to get the extensions. She w...

No fireworks display at Marina Bay New Year’s Eve countdown this year

aseanpr 5 11 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - There will be no fireworks this year at the New Year's Eve countdown celebration at Marina Bay to minimise crowds in the area amid the pandemic. Fireworks will instead be set off at different heartland locations across Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Thursday (Nov 5), adding that agencies are still working out the details. This is the first time the Marina Bay New Year’s Eve countdown celebration will be marked without fireworks since the yearly tradition began in 2005. "As health and safety remain a priority, we have adopted a different format to ensure that the public can celebrate safely and meaningfully," said URA chief executive Lim Eng Hwee. Instead of fireworks, there will be two light shows in Marina Bay in December. The first will feature student artworks from various institutions projected on the facades of three landmarks in Marina Bay - The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, ArtScience Museum and the Merlion. Organised in partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, these landmarks will be lit nightly from Dec 25 to Dec 31, depicting moments this year when people came together to uplift the vulnerable in the community. ...

Two special education schools to be redeveloped and located at new joint campus in 2025

aseanpr 5 11 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Two special education schools serving students with mild intellectual disability will have a joint campus, and redeveloped to accommodate more students. Chaoyang School and Tanglin School, which are both run by the Association for Persons with Special Needs, will also have more facilities to cater to students across the autism spectrum. The special education (Sped) schools will be located at the former Da Qiao Primary School in Ang Mo Kio in 2025. Chaoyang School is currently also located in Ang Mo Kio and Tanglin School is in Bukit Merah. At the new site, Chaoyang School will provide 400 primary-level places and Tanglin School will have 350 secondary-level places. They currently have 320 and 260 students enrolled respectively. Minister of State for Education Sun Xueling, who spoke to reporters during a visit to Chaoyang School on Thursday (Nov 5), said the schools hope to provide more places for children with mild intellectual disability who live in the north-Eastern and central regions of Singapore. Ms Sun, who is also Minister of State for Social and Family Development, said it will be more convenient for families to have both schools located at the same site. It wil...

Green finance among options needed to address economic, climate objectives: Desmond Tan

aseanpr 5 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - To address economic and climate objectives at the same time, Singapore needs to adopt a three-prong approach that includes leveraging green finance to manage the risks of climate change and mobilise capital for green and low-carbon investments. Speaking at the European Union (EU)-Singapore Dialogue on climate change on Thursday (Nov 5), Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan said that to succeed in its efforts, the country also needs to plan ahead for a smooth low-carbon transition and build resilience against environmental shocks. "Covid-19 has accelerated pre-existing trends, including rising protectionism, rising inequalities and global warming. "The onus is on us to continue to look beyond the immediate Covid-19 crisis and prepare for these long-term challenges, notably climate change. "This has always been Singapore's approach to development - to look and plan long term," said Mr Tan. He said the Government's strategy sends a powerful signal for other stakeholders to act, especially the private sector and investors. "If we all develop and implement long-term decarbonisation plans, it will facilitate the shifts needed for the transition...

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