A kiasu/kiasi father and proud of it

Jun 5, 2011
 
By Andy Chen

The personal never got so political for me until this year's General Election, my first as a father.

It has been a harrowing time watching the numerous assaults on the status quo, from all too many peers harbouring grievances, some of which were real, many exaggerated and quite a number imagined.

Perhaps even worse were the slings from idealists whose agitation for change stemmed from philosophical arguments.

I'm a father of two young daughters, I have no time for airy-fairy talk. 'First World parliament'? To that I say, 'Eh sai jiak buay?', to borrow a Hokkien phrase from a friend whose cheeky retort to needless profound talk is to ask if that profound thing can be eaten.

More than just thinking about my stomach to fill, I now worry about my daughters' future. In such a frame of mind, I do not take kindly to rally speeches that cry out for the country's billions of dollars in reserves to be released.

That reminds me of the prodigal son in the Bible who demanded that his father give him his inheritance immediately and in entirety. Gratification now, privation later.

And I would hate to see my generation's wants - not needs - fulfilled at the expense of economic stability when my daughters grow up.

In the midst of election fever, a colleague of mine had written in this newspaper an eloquent letter to her infant child, wishing for the little one to grow up in a country and society without fear.

I happen to think that fear is not such a bad thing to teach my daughters. Not the kind of fear that paralyses, of course, but the kind that counsels caution.

Not too long ago at a playground, I said many things to my elder girl, like: 'Be careful, Faith, don't run so fast', 'Watch those steps' and 'Please climb slowly, you don't want to trip and fall. It's painful.'

On and on I nagged gently.

A genial elderly man taking his dog for a walk overheard me and told Faith sweetly: 'Don't worry, all children will fall and grow up and learn.'

Because he meant well, I did not rebut him even though the thought of allowing Faith the freedom to fall was so alien as to be repugnant to me.

I know I can't prevent accidents and falls from occurring. But if I can anticipate a possible danger, I will not let it happen just to let her learn a life lesson. Not only will I prevent it, but I will also teach her to avoid it.

Most likely a few cuts and bruises would teach that lesson better. But when a child goes splat on the ground, it is not just minor cuts and bruises he suffers. Sometimes, it could be a serious head injury.

Parents these days have precious few kids to test the truth of the old folk saying: to let one's children grow up in a rough, tough and dirty environment so that they would be tough adults in mind and body, with robust immunity against germs and viruses.

According to doctors, that is correct. The greater the exposure to nasty stuff, the better the body has a chance to develop defences to fight it off. But this battle, Man Vs Germs, claims many casualties along the way.

It is why impoverished children in Third World countries can eat scraps from garbage and still seem fine, while children in the United States are developing food allergies at a fast rate. The hidden picture is one of high infant mortality rates in poorer countries.

Sorry, I don't have 10 children for Nature to select only the fittest to survive.

I very much long to see both Faith and Sarah grow up, get married and give me grandchildren to spoil. And that they do this in a country that is not living a hand-to-mouth existence after squandering the wealth our forefathers have accumulated.

I have every intention of guarding their every step at the playground, nagging them and warning them of potential danger spots for as long as I live.

My tone may not always be pleasant and I will make mistakes, but have no doubt that it is for their own good that I do what I do.

A more laissez-faire father will nag less and perhaps grant them more room to fall and fail. I do not know how to be that father. If they are not grateful for my more kiasu and kiasi ways when they grow up, I hope that at least they understand my heart.

Can someone tell me again why the adjective 'paternalistic' is used as a pejorative when describing governments?

andychen@sph.com.sg

Views of Singapore by foreigners

Jun 5, 2011
 
'Half-pats' find grass greener in Singapore
 
By Lydia Vasko

They are the 'half-pats' - children of Western expats, raised here but not sure where to call home.

For decades, these youngsters have tended to up sticks after school to study or seek work back in their countries of origin, with Singapore filed away as a diverting Asian interlude.

But this neither-here-nor-there generation is increasingly realising that the grass might just be greener in Singapore after all.

The sea change is the result of some harsh realities: Many Western economies are flatlining, and the future is looking bleak, with good jobs - and even entry-level ones - out of reach.

For many half-pats in this cold, new world, Singapore suddenly looks like a lifeline, with loads of work opportunities, low taxes and, if your luck is in, a spare room in Mum and Dad's condo unit.

There are also sentimental and cultural reasons behind the move back for many half-pats, but the economic pull factor is the hardest to resist.

Just how many people have made the passage back is uncertain as no figures are available. Tracking those who were previously here on student visas or as permanent residents is near impossible.

The trend is so new that embassies and associations have not yet begun tracking it. None of the British, American and Australian embassies and associations approached could provide statistics of the number of their citizens returning after studying abroad.

Of the five main international schools interviewed, only two had established alumni organisations, and these also struggled to determine exactly how many former students have returned here. Yet the rising trend of returnees has not gone unnoticed. 'We know there are a lot of people coming back,' said Mr David Shepherd, director of college advancement at United World College South East Asia.

'When they've been overseas for a while, studying in the UK or the US or wherever, they realise that (Singapore) is a nice place to come back to work.'

Some have little choice, given tight job markets and the expense of trying to keep body and soul together while hunting for work.

Briton Oliver Hughes, 23, moved to Singapore at the age of 16 when his father was sent here as regional director by insurer AIA. At 19, he returned to Britain to do a degree in music technology at Staffordshire University. He graduated in 2009 but no one was hiring except McDonald's. Burger-flipping is 'not a career', said Mr Hughes, 'and not a job that would pay bills and rent'. Singapore beckoned.

'My plan was just to ride it out and see what happened, wait until the recession got a bit better,' he said. 'I came back to Singapore knowing I could (afford to) get a minimum wage job because I'd be living with my parents.' It still took 10 months before he found a job related to his music technology degree - as duty manager and music director at the Prince of Wales bar, a live music haunt in Little India. It pays enough to rent a room in a flat in Paya Lebar, which was fortunate as his family moved to Hong Kong in January.

He plans to remain here for the near future as it is one of the few places in Asia where he wants to live. 'It all sort of worked out,' he added.

Ms Lucy Stannard, 19, a Singapore PR, was in the same boat. She was two years old when her father was transferred here by the British Army and returned to Britain for boarding school at 13.

With dreams of becoming a writer and no immediate desire to attend university, she high-tailed it back here in December after realising there were more job opportunities in Singapore, even for those without degrees. Within two months, she was hired as an advertising and public relations executive for an international shoe company.

She was the only Westerner in her office and found cultural and communication difficulties - her colleagues mostly spoke in Mandarin or Hokkien - but it was a post she admits she would not have got in London. 'They would never hire a 19-year-old girl... There's no way I would get a job like that.'

Her lack of experience and difficulties with her co-workers were ultimately too taxing. She quit after three months and is now working part-time with an events planning company, which gives her more time to write.

Singapore provides a similar haven for Irishman Jon O'Sullivan, 25, who returned in 2009 to find work.

He first arrived here at the age of 12 when his father was transferred here by Apple Computer. He later completed a degree in business administration at Boston University, then hit a wall.

American employers did not want to sponsor his visa and jobs are as scarce as hen's teeth in his native Ireland. After a depressing year, his father advised him to return to Singapore, where more jobs were available. Within a month of his return, he was working at Dell as an analyst. 'I came back to start off my career,' said Mr O'Sullivan.

Singapore's heady cocktail of cultures is proving a potent draw for some half-pats. American Ashley McAdam, 23, whose family moved here from Tokyo when she was 16, said the cultural diversity played a key role in her decision to accept a business analyst position with financial services giant Accenture here.

'I missed being in Asia and missed being around other people who had a similar background and an international lifestyle,' said the recent Boston College graduate. 'I guess Singapore has kind of become home,' she added.

Family ties also lured Brazilian Clarissa Cavalheiro, 25, back. She moved here at the age of 10 when her chemical engineer father took up a local posting and returned here to be with her family after completing a communications degree at Brisbane's Griffith University in 2008. 'My parents and older brother are here, my little brother will come back as well' when he finishes university this year, she said. 'I wanted to be in Singapore.'

But it still proved difficult amid a recession, hiring freezes and employment pass complications. By March 2009, having spent almost a year applying for jobs, she had 'a bit of a breakdown'.

'I was really lost,' she said. 'The thing about being an expat and growing up outside of your country is that you don't really belong anywhere. Even in the place that I consider home, where I've lived for over half my life, without a visa I can't stay.' She finally found work at Thomson Reuters as a photo sub-editor but it still took three months to get an employment pass.

Beyond Singapore's cultural mix, its business-friendly environment also has a magnetic effect on go-getters.

Take American Christopher Fussner, 23, who was born and raised here and earned his high school diploma at the Singapore American School. In 2008, he took a leave of absence from Boston University, where he was studying international relations and economics, to start his own men's clothing line, sifr, with a partner from Indonesia.

Both his father, who was posted here by electronics manufacturer Amistar 25 years ago, and his mother have started businesses here, so 'the idea of entrepreneurship was always in the background'.

His sifr line of menswear is now sold here in stores like Rockstar in Cineleisure, and in Sydney, Jakarta and Bali.

Mr Fussner feels the fresh, young nature of the design scene here is exciting. 'It's not jaded like London or the States. There's so much opportunity in Asia. Singapore is very young so there's a lot to do. You can make an impact just by doing something a little new.'

While Mr Fussner is considering finishing his degree at a design school in the United States, he says he is 'just really enjoying being here right now'.

So is fellow American Stephen Procida, 24, who found a niche that allows him to capitalise on his bicultural upbringing. He moved here with his family at the age of 11 when his father worked for American Express, then studied hotel management at Mesa College in San Diego, California.

A year ago, he returned and scored a job on the management team for a hotel in the Marina Bay area.

'I decided, why not start out at home where I know (the place) really well; I can talk to the guests, tell them about Singapore, get them excited about being here.'

The move back is often not seamless, with returnees struggling to adjust to rapid changes in Singapore's landscape. Ms Cavalheiro said: 'It's really sad that they sometimes, in building these new, amazing, trendy things, destroy the heritage.'

Briton Kirsty Carr-Hartley Smith, 23, who came here as a young girl, says the changes in Singapore have left her feeling disconnected. When she returned after completing a degree at the University of Edinburgh, she found she had 'outgrown' Singapore.

'It's in Singapore's nature to keep evolving and changing which means a lot of the things that were there when you were growing up have changed or gone. I can't find myself in it any more,' she said.

It is perhaps the inescapable fate of half-pats, that feeling of being neither here nor there, of being a little bit lost no matter how many years you have clocked up and no matter how well you know the place. 'Being an ang moh, I'll never be Singaporean in the eyes (of locals), despite this being my home since I was about five,' added Ms Carr-Hartley Smith.

'Not being accepted or being able to find your place somewhere you are trying to call home is wearisome.'

vlydia@sph.com.sg



THE EXPAT FILES
Making visitors feel at home
 
By Linda Collins

Visitors. Once, that word brought pleasure. But after many years in Singapore, and endless rounds of them, it evokes weariness.

There are only so many times you can go to the zoo, the bird park, Boat Quay, Orchard Road, the Flyer, Marina Bay Sands, Sentosa and Chinatown.

Worse, these were visitors last month. We were worn out from work and General Election fever. And the between-monsoons heatwave had hit with a vengeance.

Racing around town showing visitors the sights was the last thing we wanted to do.

So we entertained them at home, instead.

Happily, they got a kick out of just doing this.

The first visitor, Chris, who was en route to England from New Zealand, was here for two nights. As soon as he walked in, I knew he would be easy to keep amused as his eyes lit up at our bookshelves groaning with eclectic reading matter.

This ranges from the latest John Grisham to Hello magazines to the more holiday-unfriendly Berlin: The Downfall 1945 and First They Killed My Father. Entering into the spirit of grim amusement, he selected a war memoir, The Forgotten Highlander. Part of it is set in the Changi prisoner-of-war camp, and as Chris sat sweltering and sweating on our Singapore balcony, he acquired an extra appreciation for the sufferings of the protagonist.

Chris gained further insight into Singapore's weather conditions when we took him for a swim in the condo pool. After much palaver, gathering towels, sun cream, a misplaced Forgotten Highlander and other necessities, we finally set off to the pool, quite a distance down a hill from our home.

However, the bright sunny morning when we first suggested the pool idea had turned into a sinister, black skyscape fraught with accumulating atoms. By the time we made it to the pool, a tropical thunderstorm was upon us.

Fortunately, the pool restaurant was open, and a pleasant afternoon was spent downing Tiger beer and fried rice, while chatting and reading amid lightning and torrential rain. Chris never did get that swim.

That night, we took him to a Sicilian restaurant, chosen because we had been there before and it was close by. Chris, an amateur musician who does a mean version on the ukulele of Talking Heads' Psycho Killer, had a great night. Our Kiwi crooner inspired bemused but game diners to join him singing a heartfelt version of I Wanna Hold Your Hand when the restaurant's Filipino guitarist innocently asked for a request.

The next night, we took him to our local hawker centre. I was apprehensive as Chris is a vegan, but he seemed happy enough with rice, and kai lan fried in garlic and oyster sauce.

I must admit, I was also worried he would whip the aunties and uncles into a sing-along.

Barely 24 hours after Chris said farewell and headed for Changi (airport), came geeky expat Kiwi Steve from Brussels in Belgium where he is something in computers.

While not the sort of chap whose eyes light up at war books, he was already aglow over something else - the state of Singapore's roads and driving.

And it was not the usual gripes, either.

You might think that Brussels, being the headquarters of the European Union, and also of Nato (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), would have a road system that was up to scratch.

But Steve was agog over the superb state of Singapore's roads, exclaiming: 'I didn't see any potholes!'

Brussels may be in Europe, the seat of western civilisation and all that, but it comprises 19 municipalities. This, combined with deep-seated divisions between the Flemish and French populations of Brussels, results in a lack of cohesion about infrastructure including roads, according to Steve, who lives in the countryside outside of the city and does a lot of driving.

Later, we went to nearby Holland Village. Singapore foodies will be saddened at the lack of derring-do, given the array of Asian offerings across the island, but it was easiest just to duck into one of the ubiquitous Thai Express outlets there.

Steve (mercifully, a non-singer) loved the spices. The only Asian fare he can find in Brussels is Indian, and bland at that.

Still, there is some fare that Belgium is rightly famous for - chocolates. Steve left us a box of them. Having visitors is an absolute pleasure, I tell my husband, as I bite into a cream-filled white chocolate truffle.

The writer is a New Zealander who works as a copy editor with The Straits Times and has lived here for 17 years.

Why low-income mums should breastfeed

Jun 5, 2011

Milk formula can be a hefty expense, while breast milk is readily available and nutritious
 
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

Those who can afford milk formula complain about how milk expenses form a significant portion of their household incomes.

The reality is this: Milk formula is expensive and a recurring expense for at least the first two years of a child's life.

But why spend a fortune on milk formula when the best milk for human babies can be obtained free? Breast milk is not only readily available in new mothers, but it is also the most nutritious milk for the baby.

This is why I believe all low-income mothers should breastfeed and they should be given support by hospitals, government agencies and voluntary welfare organisations to ensure that they are able to do so successfully.

In the course of my work at this newspaper, I have come across a number of low-income mothers who feed their babies sweetened condensed milk with water because they cannot afford infant milk formula.

According to Dr Michael Latham, a professor of international nutrition from Cornell University, in the first four months of life, a baby of average weight would need about 22kg of powdered milk formula.

In Singapore, a 1kg can of infant milk formula costs about $40. When added up, this amount can be a hefty sum for a family with a monthly income of less than $1,000.

This is what drives some desperate families to feed their babies sweetened condensed milk, which costs about $2 a can. Not only does sweetened condensed milk contain very little nutritional value, but its high sugar content can also be dangerous to babies.

Unfortunately, having a successful start to breastfeeding in Singapore is easier said than done. Even before the baby is born, there are various factors determined to jeopardise its right to drink its mother's milk.

For one thing, milk formula companies market their products very aggressively.

From as early as my 11th week of pregnancy, I was given free samples of milk formula at the gynaecologist's clinic. I switched to another gynaecologist and again, I got free milk samples. The doctors, who claim to support breastfeeding, may not realise that giving new mothers milk formula samples may give the impression that milk formula is superior to breast milk.

Having obtained the contact information of expectant mothers from private hospitals, milk formula companies will proceed to send them mobile text messages and ring them up to offer free milk samples.

I also found that for many hospitals, the commitment to support breastfeeding is often mere lip service.

At most hospitals, immediately after the baby is born, instead of being put to its mother's breast to kick-start breastfeeding, it is whisked away by nursing staff to be checked, poked and probed.

Following that, the baby will be frequently taken away to the nursery so that 'Mummy can get some rest'. At the nursery, the baby will be given milk formula, water or the pacifier to stifle its cries.

Once a baby gets the milk bottle, chances are it will be reluctant to suckle on the breast because the latter requires much more effort to draw milk.

The mother's breasts produce milk on a demand and supply basis. When the baby is not brought to its mother's breast often enough, her body will not receive the signal that it needs to produce milk, even though she already has the necessary 'hardware' for lactation.

So the problem becomes twofold. First, the baby has problems latching on and second, the mother is not producing milk. When these problems arise, babies often struggle when offered the breast. The new mother will be convinced that she has failed to breastfeed her baby and turns to milk formula instead.

Many mothers I met told me they could not breastfeed because they did not have any milk in them. But when questioned further, they revealed that their babies were given milk formula regularly in the first few days at the hospital.

The problem is exacerbated by nursing staff who are not supportive of breastfeeding. A friend who gave birth a year ago shared how she was scolded by an impatient nurse when her baby struggled to latch on. The nurse also called her half-day-old baby 'naughty'. While she persevered and breastfed successfully, it is such experiences that frustrate the new mother and result in her giving up on breastfeeding.

This is perfectly fine for mothers who can afford milk formula. However, for the low-income mother, it is an added expense which she might not be able to sustain in the long term. Thus, the sweetened condensed milk with water.

So here's my suggestion: Restructured hospitals should invest some resources to ensure that low-income mothers are able to breastfeed successfully. This will have to be a holistic approach which requires the cooperation of doctors, nursing staff, lactation consultants and social workers.

The hospitals will first need to identify these low-income mothers from the time they come in for maternity checks. Hospital staff may want to speak to these mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding and stress the monetary savings it offers. The hospital may also want to link the mother up with the Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group, which offers support and advice to breastfeeding mothers.

When the baby is born, nursing staff and lactation consultants should make a special effort to ensure that the low-income mother is able to breastfeed successfully.

At the National University Hospital where I delivered, the nursing staff encourage all mothers to nurse their babies immediately after birth. Babies room in with their mothers, instead of being kept at the nursery, so that they can nurse on demand. A lactation consultant is available for mothers who struggle to breastfeed, at no additional cost. Milk formula is not offered so readily, unless it is absolutely necessary. These small steps together help to make breastfeeding a success.

It is also important that breastfeeding support does not stop at the hospital. Once the mother and baby are home, social workers or lactation consultants should visit them regularly to ensure that the mother continues to breastfeed. While this cannot be forced on the mother, she will be more motivated to continue breastfeeding knowing that she has support from various parties.

Even if the mother chooses only to breastfeed for the first six months, she would have saved at least $1,000 in infant milk formula. More importantly, she has given her child the best nutrition there is.

Breastfeeding is only the tip of the iceberg in helping families save on baby-related expenses. Using cloth diapers is another cost-saving, environmentally friendly measure that is worth exploring. But I'll leave that for another time.

ndianah@sph.com.sg

Elected Presidency: Guardian of the reserves

Jun 4, 2011
 
Guardian of the reserves
As potential contenders for the post of Elected President emerge, Insight traces how the institution first came about and its evolution over the years.
 
By Elgin Toh

IT WAS a Sunday afternoon in April 1984 and then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was hosting a dialogue at the Tanjong Pagar community centre.

One man asked how vulnerable his Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings were to Singapore dollar devaluations.

Mr Lee said it was a question that 'goes right to the bone'.

If the Government acted irresponsibly, he noted, 'your one dollar now may be worth 20 cents by the end of the year'.

Indeed, if the Cabinet were spendthrift and cared only for short-term gain, it could dish out freebies with abandon, squandering reserves that had been prudently accumulated over decades, he added.

'What has been built in 25 years, you can throw away in 25 days of madness,' he warned, with a sobriety that many had come to associate with him.

Then came this revelation: The Government was considering a major constitutional amendment, to put in place a 'blocking mechanism' so that the nation's reserves could be spent only with the approval of the President and a special committee.

The revelation would, seven years later, spawn a brand new institution called the Elected Presidency, under which the people elected a head of state who would have the moral authority to exercise custodial powers over the nation's reserves and top public service appointments.

His job was to guard against a hypothetical rogue government.

The 'special committee' is what we know today as the Council of Presidential Advisors.

In an uncanny historical coincidence, when Mr Lee made the revelation, the minister by his side was Mr Ong Teng Cheong, who would go on to become Singapore's first popularly elected president.

In the 27 years since, two men have served three terms as Elected President: Mr Ong from 1993-99, and Mr SR Nathan from 1999. Mr Nathan's second term ends on Sept 1.

Yet, by many accounts, this institution has not become entrenched.

It is a work in progress.

Indeed, almost 20 years after its inception, one clause under the original set of proposed amendments has not come into effect - that requiring a national referendum for amendments to the President's powers.

This is so precisely because the Government feels all the parties involved need more time to familiarise themselves with this still-evolving institution.

But most agree that progress has been made.

This, after all, is a uniquely Singapore institution, never before tried elsewhere.

Singapore's head of state, as Mr Lee noted in 1993 after the first presidential election, is 'somewhere in between' the fully executive model, like the American President, and the purely ceremonial model, like Canada's Governor General.

In beating its own path to a mature and workable parliamentary system, Singapore may need many more years of experimentation.

elgintoh@sph.com.sg



The Elected Presidency through the years
 

1984

FOUR months after Mr Lee Kuan Yew's initial disclosure that a constitutional amendment to protect national reserves was in the offing, he shed more light on the subject in his National Day rally speech.

For the President to have the moral authority to thwart an elected Prime Minister, he too should be elected by the people, not by Parliament, as had been the case since Independence, Mr Lee said.

He added that the Elected President should preferably be a former minister, familiar with the workings of government.

Meanwhile, in Parliament, opposition MP J.B. Jeyaretnam pressed Mr Lee for a referendum on the proposal.

Mr Lee said: 'We cross our bridges when we come to them. First a White Paper, then a proper debate and then a referendum, and many other things besides.

'All procedures and processes necessary for such an entrenched clause will be dutifully and faithfully followed.'

1988

THE first White Paper on the proposed changes was presented to Parliament in July, ahead of that year's general election, with the view of making the amendments an issue during the hustings.

In the 11-page document, the Government laid out its case.

The 'untrammelled power' that the existing Constitution extended to the government of the day posed a latent risk to Singapore's future.

'Any government, even a temporary coalition which comes into power by a majority of only one seat in Parliament, has complete legal access to all the levers of power and decision-making,' it warned. 'Overnight, everything can be dismantled.'

In particular, it pointed to two precious assets that warranted special protection:

More than $30 billion in national reserves, which was vital to a country with no natural resources; and

A meritocratic and impartial civil service that was nevertheless vulnerable to nepotistic appointments if a bad government were to come into power.

Having considered alternatives, including the creation of an upper legislative house and a body resembling the United States Federal Reserve Board, the Government decided that a President with expanded powers would be most effective.

Under the proposed 'two-key safeguard mechanism', the President held a second key and his concurrence was required for any likely drawing of reserves and appointments to key public offices.

Stringent eligibility criteria would be imposed on prospective candidates.

They had to have held appointments 'of sufficient importance and responsibility', examples of which include Cabinet minister, Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, permanent secretary and top private sector posts.

The Government could overcome a presidential block in two ways, the paper suggested.

One, it could wait for the next presidential election and call on the electorate to vote in another President agreeable to the blocked initiative.

Two, it could amend the Constitution with a two-thirds majority to curtail the President's power. Under the proposed changes, this amendment would have to be confirmed by the electorate in a referendum, also with a two-thirds majority.

But the referendum clause, known as Article 5 (2A) of the Constitution, has not kicked into effect till this day because the Government maintains that more experience under the new framework needs to be chalked up before allowing presidential powers to become entrenched.

During the parliamentary debate and subsequent election campaign, opposition politicians and a number of PAP backbenchers were critical of the proposed Elected Presidency.

Retired minister Ong Pang Boon expressed 'grave reservations', warning that 'another centre of power will emerge around the President' and that the power of future Prime Ministers would 'correspondingly be reduced'.

Opposition candidates also decried the eligibility criteria, claiming that only PAP candidates were likely to qualify.

The Government defended its proposals in Parliament and in three televised debates during the election campaign.

1990

HAVING taken into account various suggestions and criticisms, the Government proceeded to present its second White Paper to Parliament.

It contained two significant changes.

It gave the President additional safeguard powers on ministerial orders under the Internal Security Act and the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. It also gave him power to authorise investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau even if the Prime Minister refused to grant consent.

The other change however, curtailed his powers. It allowed Parliament to override a presidential veto on the use of reserves or key public service appointments with a two-thirds majority if the President's call contradicted the advice of the Council of Presidential Advisors (CPA).

The President may nominate only two members to this six-member panel. Of the other four, two are nominated by the Prime Minister, one by the Chief Justice and one by the chairman of the Public Service Commission.

The actual amendment Bill was tabled in Parliament and debated. A 12-member Select Committee, which included opposition MP Chiam See Tong, was convened and considered 34 written representations from members of the public.

It amended the Bill based on submissions. For example, it accepted a suggestion by law lecturer Walter Woon - who later became Attorney-General - that presidential candidates should be required to resign from all political parties.

The Select Committee's report said it accepted this so the President would not only be above party politics, but 'be manifestly seen to be so'.

1991

THE Constitution was successfully amended by 75 votes to one, with the sole dissenting vote coming from Mr Chiam.

No referendum was called. Then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said he saw the resounding election victory in 1988 as a sign that there was no public desire for one, since the Elected Presidency had been a salient issue during the campaign.

Sitting President Wee Kim Wee automatically assumed the new role, without having to be popularly elected.

1993

MR WEE'S term ended, paving the way for the first presidential election.

Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong was first off the mark, announcing his candidacy before quitting his party and government posts. The labour chief was backed by both the PAP and the National Trades Union Congress.

Nominated MP Chia Shi Teck said he would throw his hat into the ring if nobody else stepped forward, to ensure a contest.

But that was not necessary, as the PAP subsequently engineered a contest. Retired deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee and then Finance Minister Richard Hu persuaded former accountant-general Chua Kim Yeow to stand.

Initially reluctant, Mr Chua gradually warmed up to the race. In his second TV broadcast, he labelled Mr Ong as a PAP man: 'The PAP dominates the government and dominates the legislature. Do you want the PAP to dominate the presidency as well?'

Mr Ong won with 58.7 per cent of votes.

1994

FURTHER constitutional amendments were passed, requiring the President to publish in the Government Gazette his rationale for agreeing or disagreeing with a government decision to draw on past reserves.

The changes also removed the President's veto rights over security and defence spending funded by reserves. The Government argued that since the Prime Minister and Cabinet were empowered to decide whether the country would go to war, they must also be allowed to execute that decision.

1995

THE first of two public disagreements surfaced between President Ong and the Government.

The President questioned the Government's right to amend Article 22H of the Constitution without his consent.

The Article, which the Government claimed had been wrongly drafted, stated that if a President blocks Parliament when it tries to amend certain laws, his veto is final if the courts rule that the amendment would curtail his powers.

President Ong referred the matter to a Supreme Court tribunal, which ruled in favour of the Government. He later said he would be failing in his duty if he had simply let the matter pass.

1999

AS HIS term of office wound to a close, President Ong gathered the press at the Istana in July to announce that he would not stand for re-election.

He also revealed that his relationship with the Government during his six-year term had at times been uneasy.

Among his complaints were that when he asked the Government to provide the detailed values of all reserves in the form of physical assets, such as land, he was told the information would take 56 man-years to produce. He then scaled back on his request and asked for a plain listing of these physical asset reserves instead.

One month after his revelations, Finance Minister Richard Hu gave a point-by-point clarification in Parliament, stressing that the difficulties that arose were 'honest differences in views'.

PM Goh added that at no time did the Government withhold information from the President.

In response to the public debate over the role of the presidency triggered by President Ong's disclosures, Mr Goh also clarified that the President had no executive powers, only custodial ones.

'Only the Government exercises executive powers,' he said.

Earlier, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew also reminded Singaporeans that 'there can be only one centre of government in the country'.

In the light of the disagreements, President Ong and the Government agreed upon a convention by which the President will protect reserves. This was then presented to Parliament in the form of a White Paper, which defined the reserves and set out clear procedures on presidential oversight. It included a requirement that the Government and key agencies provide the President with regular financial updates. The White Paper sets out guidelines and is not legally binding.

The PAP backed veteran diplomat SR Nathan for the post. Mr Nathan was elected unopposed after private tutor Ooi Boon Ewe and opposition politician Tan Soo Phuan failed to secure certificates of eligibility.

2001

PARLIAMENT passed a constitutional amendment locking away as past reserves at least half of the net investment income earned from past reserves. This was previously treated as current reserves, which did not fall under presidential purview.

2005

PRESIDENT Nathan completed his first term and announced he would seek re-election.

This time, the former chief financial officer of statutory board JTC Corporation, Mr Andrew Kuan, joined the race.

The three-member Presidential Elections Committee, which vets candidates, turned him down, after finding his experience not comparable to that laid out under the Constitution.

2008

CUSTODIAL powers of the President are exercised for the first time, as the Government issued a $150 billion guarantee on all bank deposits here in the wake of a global financial crisis. The Government said that the chances of actually having to make a payout were low, but that they had to be backed by actual reserves to be credible. President Nathan approved the move.

Another constitutional amendment was passed the same year. The net investment income framework was replaced with the net investment returns framework. Capital gains were included in the definition of returns. And long-term expected real returns were used as opposed to present returns. This increased the income available for use in annual budgets.

The President's powers were revised accordingly: The Government had to seek the President's concurrence on its projected rate of return for the next 20 years, failing which an average historical real rate of return would be used instead.

2009

A DEEP economic crisis prompted the Government to draw on past reserves for the first time since the creation of the Elected Presidency.

The turning of the second key went ahead smoothly, as President Nathan approved the use of $4.9 billion for two schemes - one to save jobs and another to ease credit for companies.

It took 11 days for the President and the CPA to go over the Government's plan before granting approval. Said President Nathan: 'I think the system was tested. It responded to the urgency.'

2011

A PRESIDENTIAL election is due by August - this time with the General Election fresh on voters' minds. Former PAP backbencher Tan Cheng Bock has announced that he will be running as an independent candidate, not backed by the PAP.

The PAP has not confirmed whom it is endorsing, although former foreign minister George Yeo has said he is 'thinking hard' about running.

ELGIN TOH

Nepali soldier gets top honour for heroic feat

 

Jun 2, 2011


LONDON - A NEPALESE soldier in the British army was given a top bravery award by Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday for his heroics in Afghanistan, where he single-handedly saw off more than 30 Taleban fighters.

Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, said he thought he was going to die and so had nothing to lose in taking on the attackers who overran his checkpoint. He was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC), which is given in recognition of acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy.

Corporal Pun fired more than 400 rounds, launched 17 grenades and detonated a mine to repel the Taleban assault on his checkpoint near Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, last September. Surrounded, the enemy opened fired from all sides and for 15 minutes Corporal Pun remained under continuous attack, including from rocket-propelled grenades and AK47 guns.

At one point, unable to shoot, he used his machine gun tripod to knock down a militant who was climbing the walls of the compound. Two insurgents were still attacking by the time he ran out of ammunition, but he set off a Claymore mine to repel them.

Corporal Pun was given his medal in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London. The CGC is second only to the Victoria Cross - the highest honour for bravery in the face of the enemy.

'There wasn't any choice but to fight. The Taleban were all around the checkpoint. I was alone,' he said. 'I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die so I thought I'd kill as many of them as I could before they killed me. 'After that I thought nobody can kill us now - when we met the enemy I wasn't scared.' -- AFP

[They should make this into a movie.]

Minister quizzed over IRs and more

Jun 1, 2011
 
Students at Pre-U seminar ask questions ranging from role of the Net to falling fertility rates
 
By Leow Si Wan

WHAT happens when change is met by resistance from the people?

This question from a student impressed Mr S. Iswaran, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry.

It was asked yesterday by Joanna Lee, 17, at the annual Pre-University Seminar. The Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student raised the example of how plans to build the integrated resorts went ahead despite objections from the community. Mr Iswaran said that change was not an option, but that the key was in deciding 'our response to it'. As for the integrated resorts, he explained the decision was taken after a very deliberate process.

'The debate, even within the Government, was a very extensive, quite a soul-searching one,' he said.

He added that the Government had made 'extraordinary efforts' to address social concerns by imposing a $100 levy to deter impulse gambling, as well as exclusion policies.

The Pre-University Seminar is an event designed to bring together students from pre-university institutions to debate issues of national importance.

This year's seminar, held at the National University of Singapore, started on Monday and will end on Friday. It involves more than 500 students from junior colleges, integrated programme schools, polytechnics and the Millennia Institute.

Its theme, Reimagining Singapore, challenges participants to consider how the country can generate new possibilities and opportunities for its people and its future.

Students asked questions touching on a wide range of topics - from the role of the Internet and falling fertility rates, to policies for encouraging student entrepreneurship.

A student from St Andrew's Junior College asked about the impact of the recently concluded general election on the People's Action Party (PAP).

Said Mr Iswaran: 'Is it good or bad for the PAP? Well, really, this is a question to be answered in five years' time.

'But it is good to have a contest of ideas, it is good to be able to see different approaches.'

He also noted that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had earlier said that the PAP will take a good look at the way it does things and see where and how it needs to change.

Another student asked about the characteristics of a First World government.

Mr Iswaran said that a First World government must be able to respond to changes from various perspectives - those of a traditionalist, an entrepreneur and a visionary.

This year's seminar also featured a more interactive platform. Each student was equipped with a clicker handset, which allowed him to respond directly to questions posed by Mr Iswaran.

Speaking to reporters after the event, he said he had initiated the idea to help students become more engaged in the seminar.

He added that he was very impressed with the questions they asked, which showed that they had thought deeply about issues.

Raffles Institution student Adithya Raghunathan, 18, said: 'I enjoyed the seminar, and this is the first time I have seen the clicker being used in such an event... It is interaction on a whole new level. When the minister asked questions, I could respond directly and my answer affects what appears on the screen. I could also see what my peers thought.'

siwan@sph.com.sg

Lesson in grace under fire

Jun 1, 2011

MONTERREY (Mexico): The Mexican authorities have rewarded a kindergarten teacher who kept a group of children calm by singing to them during a gunfight, after her video of the incident became an Internet hit.

In the video, a frightened but determined schoolteacher is heard attempting to maintain calm among a group of children lying on the floor, asking them to join her in a singalong as gunfire shatters the air outside.

The teacher refers to the children as 'my love', 'precious' and 'little ones' during the stirring clip filmed last week in the city of Monterrey, in northern Mexico. The clip has gone viral, reigniting a public debate over the government's campaign against drug gangs and earning accolades for Ms Martha Rivera Alanis.

The Nuevo Leon state government honoured her for 'outstanding civic courage' in a ceremony yesterday.

The 33-year-old mother of two said she was frightened, but that her 'only thought was to take their minds off that noise'.

The song she chose is a Spanish version of a tune popularised by the children's TV programme Barney And Friends, and refers to chocolate droplets falling from the sky.

Ms Rivera Alanis filmed the video during a gunfight last Friday in which five people died at a taxi stand.

According to a local news site, she posted the video on her Facebook account before her permission was sought for it to be reproduced on YouTube. It has been seen more than 714,000 times.

'We do drills constantly, because the area where we are is a high-risk zone,' Ms Rivera Alanis was quoted as saying, while the children 'behaved in the way we had practised'.

Monterrey, a prosperous industrial hub, has seen a wave of violence as the Gulf and Zeta drug cartels fight over smuggling routes into America. The turf war has led to shoot-outs on busy streets, attacks on nightclubs and bars as well as 'narco blockades'.

ASSOCIATED PRESS