Land Rover Accident; Mandatory National Service and a Personal Fine

In July last year, full-time national serviceman 2LT Nicholas Chan was the unfortunate victim of an accident involving a military land rover in Seletar Camp. Being the only son made pain more unbearable for his homemaker mother. It is coming to year since that fateful day and I hope his family members are keeping well.

The remorseful driver, a full-time national serviceman just like 2LT Chan, was hauled to court few days ago and fined $5,000 for his negligence. After sentencing, the driver was reported to say, "My heart goes out to the family. I’m still sad at what happened and wished that this had never happened." Sigh, but happened it did. It is likely that the fine will have to come out from his own pocket, or that of his family members.

The exact details revolving around this disastrous incident are not the topic for discussion here. Unclear and unanswered questions arising from incidents like this one only serve to send parents into the abyss of fear, a realm they would prefer not to be in.

Both of them are serving their national service, as required by law. While the strategy to build a deterrent force has its rightful place in tiny Singapore, it resulted in many lives being sacrificed in the course of carrying out such national duties. So far, there is no recollection of any lives being sacrificed in combat, the loss of lives is mainly due to peacetime training/duties and administration.

Compensation for deceased and injured servicemen has all along been a subject poorly defined to those serving their more than 2 years of compulsory duties as well as to the general public.

In recent times, due to our flexibility in immigration policies, there has been a large influx of foreigners into Singapore, be they ‘talents’ or unskilled workers. These people are different from the tourists, who come and go. These people are here to stay, be employed, use public transport, share common facilities, occupy accommodations etc etc. Inevitably, the lives and livelihood of Singaporeans are drastically affected. The general population, especially the heartlanders, is suffocating in this tiny red dot by the presence of this sizeable force of alien.

In serving the nation, mandatorily, have we been fairly treated? I guess we are not asking for special treatment for this service. In a way, yes, we risk our life to serve. Is it too much then to receive at least the basics? It is not clear what the amount of monetary payout will be for next of kin/family should there be a loss of life. Are all national servicemen performing full time and Operational Ready Men doing ICT covered by insurance? If so, what is the quantum?

There is however a provision for an opt-out scheme, premium of course is a paid for by the servicemen themselves. See Opt-out Insurance Coverage for MINDEF Employees and SAF Personnel. One wonders why it is so difficult a decision to make by just providing this insurance coverage from the onset.

Even employers here in Singapore are bounded by law to provide mandatory workmen insurance to their foreign workers. This is to protect the basic rights of a workman should mishaps occur. If a Bangladeshi worker can be awarded $1,000,000 due to an accident at work, it is absurd that our national servicemen are not getting a fraction of it should mishap befall upon them.

Examples:

Bangladeshi Mohamad Bashar, then 24, paralysed from the waist down in 1996: Received $105,000 in workmen's compensation.

Indian national Sevugan Kalyanasundaram, then 25, paralysed from the neck down in 2003: Paid $190,000 in workmen's compensation.

Bangladeshi Dalim Ahmed Ali, then 27, paralysed from the waist down in 2003: Received $94,000 in workmen's compensation.

See $1,000,000 awarded to paralysed Bangladeshi

North Korean crushed in World Cup

While the elation in Portugal for defeating North Korea 7-0 is understadable, the fate of the whole NK team when they return home is making many worry for them and their family.

The demi-god leader Kim certainly is not going to find this easy to stomach. His great country has just been trounced severely. One can imagine Kim fuming mad, red faced....

Perhaps. This is just pure speculation.

But the worry for them is nonetheless still valid, going by the oppressive ways their citizens are being treated when they let the state down. Pray the whole North Korean team will be fine.

Mass asylum?

Singapore Badminton Open - Another accolade to a national team

20 June 2010 Sunday marked a new milestone for the shuttlers in Team Singapore. Yes! They have just been crowned champion in the women's doubles category.

Indonesia-born Shinta Mulia Sari and the China-born Yao Lei ended the Republic's 20-year wait for a local player to be crowned champion at the Singapore Open. What a feat. Both players have trained hard, and the win is deserving for them.

That being said, many Singaporeans still prefer the Singapore Badminton Association put in more effort to train local born and bred Singaporean shuttlers attained what these ex-foreigners achieved for Singapore. The glory for Singapore then will be more complete.

Well done girls!

World Cup - The Evil Providers vs Hungry Providees

The World Cup 2010 is in progress in South Africa now.

The justifications from the two evil telcos are anything but garbages. They even go to the extend of scrambling signals from RTM, thinking there is a an international border for signal to travel.

The silence from the Competition Commission of Singapore on the telcos conduct only prove they are but a toothless statutory board, a waste of tax payers money.

The people has spoken, online, offline, in MSM and new media, in Speakers' Corner and almost ALL the regular haunts of soccer fans.

Judgement Day for the two telcos is deferred for now, as many people are busy watching the matches. The aftermath is certainly not going to be sweet for these blood sucking providers.

While the providers may be evil, the providees are not stupid. Free to view channels are all over cyber space.

Watch RTM 1 Live Streaming here

Watch RTM 2 Live Streaming here

Watch Other Free Channels here

The above sites are optimised for Internet Explorers.

One can google for more channels in the internet with little difficulties.

Madhateh Ridicules Singaporean Malays, Once Again

Malaysia daily newspaper, New Straits Times reported today on Madhateh speaking at the "Melayu Bangkit" gathering organised by the Gerakan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Gertak) -- a Malay non-governmental organisation -- at the state indoor stadium here yesterday.

He said the Malays would only have themselves to blame if they ended up being marginalised like their counterparts in Singapore, who form only 15 per cent of the voters there. "Some may argue, who cares as long as Singapore prospers, but how much of the riches is shared by the Malays?"

This man has no qualms, or shall I say shame. In meritocratic Singapore, every one fights for their own survival, occasionally extending hands to the under-privileged. Even then, many unfortunates are still left out of the social safety nets. So why in the world should their Malay counterparts in Singapore be given special treatments? Bumiputra policies doesn't work, proof that is so evident even during the reign of this mad man when he was the PM.

From the psychological point of view, Madhateh is suffering from the syndrome of inferiority complex. He is always jealous of the fact that Singapore has flourished much better than Malaysia in many areas. Of course, there are some things in Malaysia that many Singaporeans would likely raised their eyebrow in envy, though not many.

Madhateh bitter rivalry with his Singapore counterpart landed him a loser, at least in the eyes of many observers. Singaporeans may have countless issues with their own political leaders but these are purely domestic matters. His remarks on Singaporean Malays having to terbongkok-bongkok (kowtow) before others is absolutely unfounded and is a classic example of racism at it worst.

It will go down in history that Madhateh will forever be second classed to his Singapore counterpart. Consider this, if he is so smart, he would have offer conducive terms in providing low cost education to Malays in Singapore to settle down in Malaysia. He would also have offered them the ease of acquiring Permanent Resident status to settle down and contribute to the New Economic Policy put forth by his governance. This would have yielded positive result for Malaysia. And most of all, Madhateh would be able to better look after then since their stay in Malaysia is directly under his juridiction.

He has failed miserably in this area. Look at what his counterpart in Singapore had done with flying colours. Issuing PR status to Malaysian easily, subsidising education for their tertiary education, providing jobs with good pay, given them a living condition much much more conducive and more importantly, safe. His counterpart even allow them to earn their pay here and spend in Malaysia, something the Malaysians loved so much with the foreign exchange in their favour.

When Singapore and Malaysia divorced in 1965, it was S$1 = RM1. Now? The exchange speaks volume on the achievement of Madhateh, no?

It is now too late for him to do anything. He is eliminated to just another old political figure way past his prime. He initiated his Wawasan 2020, a dream of his, a vision he enshrined in his policies which is akin to the Singapore dream of World Cup 2010, now in play in South Africa. Less Team Singapore of course.

In the nutshell, Madhateh is still holding deep grievances against the Malays in Singapore. He carried with him an envy he will never ever admit, and his jealousy will most likely be carried with him till 'forever'.

Singaporeans and Malaysians are bonded strongly historically. It is not something that a mad man like Madhateh can destroyed with his proclamation that Malays in Singapore are kowtowing to others. He should have know better than to think that everyone of his cronies around him agree with his view.

Read NST article here.

Lawyer confused over $100 levy

A lawyer recently acting for a casino in Singapore raised a question many Singapore maundered over the coffee shop table. *Is a lift breakdown a legal excuse not to pay the mandatory levy to enter the casino?

There already existed a very strong resentment towards this controversial policy of collecting a $100 'entrance fee' in the form of a levy when Singaporeans visit the casino. This bitterness reinforced many Singaporeans rancour when foreign talents employed as labourers begun streaming into the casino, heads held high over their Singaporeans employers and host. They should be proud of their 'free entry' tickets when Singaporeans paid millions of dollars just to enter.

I shall leave this unique rationale aside for now. How on earth can 15 diners be stuck in a restaurant, unable to get out after their dinner just because the lift has broken down? Strangely, the only way to exit is via the casino but at a cost of $100 each (if they are Singaporean). Is there no provision for fire exits? Even if they have to exit through the casino, can they not seek help from their security personnel to get out from the place? But alas, the law says it is MANDATORY to pay.

While I am confident the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) has people with sane mind to resolve this intelligently, it leaves one to wonder why a small matter like an exit from a restaurant can turn out to be a national issue.

If a fully qualified lawyer is confused over such frivolous incident, how about lesser mortals like us? It seems that we are constantly at the mercy of law for cases which we have little or no control over and with recourse that is very much compromised.

*See lawyer letter here - Law should be clarified

English vs Singlish

Take a break from all the negative vibes out there and enjoy this conversation between English and Singlish. Enjoy the day and carry your smiles through the week.

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Singapore Pools - The One and Only

Tendency is that every one of us at some point of time in our life has put a wager against personal friends, colleagues and even our own family members on even the most insignificant things in our daily lives.

Example like this is common; Ah Beng and Ah Seng were both smoking 30 metres away from the main entrance of Suntec Tower One when Ah Beng said, "I'll bet with you $10 that Man U will win the match tonight against Arsenal". In reply Ah Seng, exhaling smoke out of his nose, raised his voice, "Onz lah, I say Arsenal sure win one. Whoever lose, tomolo must pay har!".

We may think nothing about little funs like this. The fact is, these two gentlemen just committed a serious offence, according to the police that is. And they are liable on conviction to a fine of not more than $5,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not more than 6 months.

According to a spokesman from the police force, ALL FORMS of betting are illegal UNLESS they are promoted, organised, administered or operated by Singapore Pools, its officers and authorised agents. This is really steady-poon-pee-pee....

I think we should all go play MONOPOLY instead.

Window Safety Days and a Dog Campaign

June 6 and Dec 12 this year are designated to be Window Safety Days (yes, day with an 's') for Singapore. It seems like this is going to be a great campaign to educate the public the importance of maintaining their windows to prevent them from falling off high-rise apartment buildings in our densely populated country.

This campaign was announced in a statement jointly issued by HDB and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) as a result of increased incidents of windows frames falling off building along with the glass panes. Year 2009 recorded 71 cases, up from 44 in 2008. (see Joint Statement here)

The main thrust of the message apparently is to warn home owners and tenants of the consequences if they failed to adhere to the law (Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act). Here goes :

For falling windows due to poor maintenance, owners are liable to be fined S$10,000 and/or face up to 12 months in jail.

In addition, if the fallen casement windows are found to have aluminum rivets instead of stainless steel rivets required by law, they can also face a penalty of six months in jail and/or S$5,000 fine.

Singapore is well known for many campaigns. Long ago, we used to have Use You Hands Campaign, Singapore OK Campaign, Speak Mandarin Campaign and a list of many others, too long to accommodate here.

Perhaps HDB should consider doing a 'No Dog-Barking Campaign' to eradicate the incessant disturbance by these man's best friends in the middle of the silent night. This can be followed by a 'No Dog-poo in HDB Void Deck' Campaign to mitigate the huge problem of dog's excrement and urine along HDB flats corridors, walkways, grass patches etc etc.

This can be done jointly with the National Environment Agency (NEA) since these excrements pose a health threat, especially when these waste products land right in front of PAP Community Foundation (PCF) kindergartens. We want to prevent Hand Foot Mouth Disease and child related ailments, aren't we not?

HDB should also be exercise fairness to cats. Why allow homeowners to rear dogs in HDB flats when cats are banned outright from being kept as pets? Some strange animal ruling HDB has. Meow...

Singapore's paddlers are Champions, are you proud of it?

An exhilarating psychological state of pride and optimism is all around the Singapore table tennis camp. And they have good reason to be so; the women's team representing Singapore has just clinched the much coveted LIEBHERR 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow. One most interesting thing to note is that the players in the final are all Chinese, past and present.

Feng Tianwei scored the opening point as well as sealing the title with her hard-fought final point for the Singapore team. We can read about the detailed score in mainstream media tomorrow so I am not going to touch on that here. Singapore's victory effectively ended the China Women's team dream of holding the title for the 8th consecutive time.

I am sure many true born and bred Singaporeans have this lingering thought in their mind; should we or should we not feel proud about this achievement? Personally I am not, not a single bit. However, I am happy for the individual players for seeing their effort turned into fruition. I am certain all of them put in their 100% to participate in tournaments like this one. And I congratulate them for their performance.

Ex-PM and the current SM Goh Chok Tong boasted in one of the NDP Rally that Singapore will play in the final of football World Cup 2010. Well, he punted on the wrong horse. The Singapore football team cannot even smell the air in the second round, let alone playing in the finals. Of course, his prophecy for the football team is a tremendous task. Let's be fair, it is not easy to BUY a full football team, coaches and players. Therefore very little people will place the blame on him for giving the Football Association of Singapore this Mount Everest task.

The smart people took the idea and implemented in the STTA. Unlike football, it is so much easier to BUY a small team, in table tennis. Well, it pays. And we got ourselves a Silver medal in Beijing 2008 and now this 'superb' achievement in Moscow.

I guess we also have to congratulate the president of STTA, Miss Lee Bee Wah, for having the wisdom of not appearing in the picture above. It would have marred the celebration of Singaporeans who felt a sense of pride in this happy moment.

I wish to borrow the famous line of Shakespeare's Hamlet, "To feel or not to feel, that is the question".