Treat Singapore like a hotel and all the complaints go away

Reference:
Even new citizens and expats think Singapore is having problems. Are you listening Sir?
Singapore must pause and reflect

If you treat Singapore like a hotel, there won't be so much complaints.

The issue is citizens do believe and wish that Singapore is their home.

Will 6 months of maternity leave for mums work?

From Straits Times, 22 Jul 2012

This is an incredible push for more babies. You can almost sense the desperation. But we're not that desperate yet. Not yet anyway.

It's quite incredulous to imagine that this would work.

If you're running a business, there will be a huge disincentive not to hire these women. Of course, you won't be able to predict in advance who would be pregnant but that's always going to be on your mind when you hire people.

For big companies, it might not be so much on the financial expense, but more on who would cover the work left behind by the mum-to-be? Would the boss pay double and hire another part-timer because the job important and can't be left unattended?

A company exists only to make money. It just doesn't make any business sense to pay someone who's not working.

I suppose if this is implement, then women in the civil service will benefit most from it since the government has to walk the talk.

A more flexible work-hour would be more helpful.

Lucky STOMP staff got sacked over SMRT train door photo

Reference: Stomp staff sacked over false 'MRT open door photo'

In a potential legal situation, you never ever say sorry or admit liability — e.g. in a traffic accident.

You know how bad it is when SPH apologizes. The lady is so lucky she's protected by Company Law and only got fired.

And this isn't technically citizen journalism as the lady is an employee.

Should we watch our students master the skills that are needed for the next 20 to 30 years

Source:
A call to relearn how we teach our children

Now the Education minister has come back to say that parents need new methods to teach their children.

So I was right in my previous article, parents are becoming more stupid.

In actual words of Education Minister Heng Swee Keat:

"The question for us really is: Do we want to stick to syllabus and teaching methods that we are used to as parents when we were students 20 to 30 years ago, or should we watch our students master the skills that are needed for the next 20 to 30 years of their life?"

What specifically are those skills that you are talking about?

Do you see people using advanced math in our daily life?

DPM Teo on Workers' Party Hougang by-election

 

Reference:
DPM Teo questions if Hougang voters being taken for granted 

Just some comments on the lines from DPM Teo

Mr Teo said the Workers' Party has now put up another candidate, and its secretary-general Low Thia Khiang is acting as if "nothing has happened" and is "pulling on the emotions" of voters.

 Shouldn't we just move on? Isn't that what we did when Mas Selamat escaped?

"If he was their best man, why didn't they choose him?" Mr Teo asked.

 Because he isn't the best man then. That's why he wasn't chosen.

"Is it possible that they are pulling on your emotions, and really taking you for granted?" Mr Teo questioned.

Singaporeans are being taken for granted. Just look at basic necessities like public transport. How does it feel to squeeze into a crowded train every morning? How does it feel to miss 2 to 3 trains every morning because you can't get onto it?

These include building more new flats to stabilise property prices and schemes such as the Workfare Income Supplement to raise the wages of low wage workers.

Talking about wages, I just read an article that infuriates me:
SMRT raises bus drivers’ basic salaries by 35%
I thought bus drivers were earning at least $2000. It was actually $1375 before other additions. This is just ridiculous. Like there aren't enough customers, I mean passengers, using the buses to pay for their wages. So where does the money go? More pay should be going to people who are actually doing the work rather than management. 

And the priority should not be on stabilizing property prices. It should be on lowering them.

Education standards in Singapore unrealistic

 
An ex-colleague of mine Ian Tan wrote an article for Today titled 'Standards are unrealistic' recently.

He said that the standards of Singapore education is too high. I agree.

Many parents who commented on that page also agree.

But MOE has the audacity to disagree, saying standards have remained the same. I guess that means Singapore parents are more stupid now.

There's no point in setting such standards so high that they become ridiculous. After all, most of the things you learn in primary and secondary school will be forgotten, except the languages.

The unrealistic standards create a stressful learning environment. It kills the passion to learn. The most important thing schools can impart to students is the passion to learn. When you force people to learn, it makes learning less attractive. You won't see a lot of people taking initiative to learn on their own. Or to take initiative, for that matter.

I want to make special mention on the point of problem solving as mentioned in the article. When you have kids that just follow stipulated route to finding answers, they won't be able to think creatively to solve problems in the future, in life.

• Standards are unrealistic  
• Primary school maths: A vicious circle
• MOE ‘dismissed’ public feedback: parent

Myopic Singaporeans

Just read an interesting article:
Why Are 90% of Asian Schoolchildren Nearsighted? From Doing What You’re Doing Now

Lots of young kids in Singapore are myopic. You can see them on the trains. They are everywhere.

It's easy to understand why it's so. Parents either don't have time to bring their kids out, or the kids would be too busy studying to go out.

Such is the life of a typical Singaporean kid.

No point dissuading S'poreans already set on leaving

  I agree with one of the letter writers who wrote the title above.

There's no point dissuading Singaporeans who are set on leaving, or persuading them to come back. When they have reached that point, you've already lost them. It's not like they made the decision to leave overnight.

It's all the little push and pull factors that made them leave.

Look towards making the people we still have stay instead.


And yes, the $4 million dollar is wasted. No problem. Singapore is rich.

By the way, there's a good set of photos of Singapore Day 2012 on Flickr.

Reference:
S’pore Day in New York a hit but will it bring home local talent?
New York to draw 4,000 on Singapore Day
No point dissuading S'poreans already set on leaving
Status Updates

From Old School to No School

I was reading about the story of how Old School at Mount Sophia is being forced out of her home after spending more than a century being on the hill. The school has been there since 1887.

URA has decided not to extend the lease and now all the tenants have to move out by June 30, 2012.

All this is part of the URA's 2008 Master Plan. They have slated the site for residential development.

In other words, my words, the current Old School is unable to generate enough revenue in that prime piece of land to justify it being there. Selling property in that neighborhood is more profitable than having some group of people going about doing their art stuff.

It's like there's no where else in Singapore to develop property and this is the last place in Singapore.

In the distant future I imagine, Singapore will just be filled with housing blocks and shopping centres. The only places that will be preserved will depend on their ability to attract tourist.

Is that the Master Plan?

Source:
Old girls of MGS fight to save Old School on Mount Sophia 
No lease extension for arts enclave at Mt Sophia

http://heritagetrails.sg/content/691/Methodist_Girls_School.html

Online code of conduct is stupid

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, has suggested an idea for an online code of conduct on 23 April 2012 at the Singapore Press Club.

Looks like the amount of online criticism has grown to an extent that we have to spend time to address this issue.

The idea is stupid.

Current laws are more than adequate enough to be applied online. The internet is just another communication medium. Technically speaking, there should be no difference if you slander someone online or offline.

All you have to do is to enforce the laws for those who break it. If there's no consequence to saying whatever you want online, then people will just continue. The act on enforcing will make people think more before they say something.

I hope no more manpower is wasted on discussing this non-problem.

Sources

• Online code of conduct? 'No thanks'
• Is there really a need for an Internet code of conduct?
• What is the point of an internet “Code of Conduct”?