This is not paradigm shift

Changing the T-score format to L2R2 is not a paradigm shift. Paradigm shifts examples are like straight 10 years of general schooling, with an option to change school at the 7th year, changing the syllabus to practical based assessments instead of theory, curriculum that encourages creativity, etc

L2R2 is just copying. And they ask us why Singaporeans are not innovative. 

Tax and Kaisuism

I have been busy with work for quite some time, which is evident from my lack of posts. However, looking at the recent budget debate, I find that too much focus has been put on things that do not matter.

First of all. The tax issue. Working mothers say that it's an increase of 20% of tax. Come on. People only use percentage to hide real numbers in areas of tax. If you look at the dollar value, what's that worth? One less vacation to some faraway country? One less LV bag? Use the car to the full 10 years instead of changing to the latest model? If you want to have children, paying tax is not an excuse. If you are having children just because you want to pay tax, then you should be very worried because you are having children for all the wrong reasons. Oh yes. Did I forget to mention we have one of the lowest tax rates in the world?

Next is Kiasuisim. I agree that this is causing issues with creativity and innovation because everyone is afraid. It's not something that we should encourage or even be proud of. This I feel is also directly linked to the brain drain we are having. Why are the best and brightest moving to the US? I have been to the US before and I can say that at least in the areas of technology, you get far better response to new ideas instead of a typical track record and risk analysis that will eventually kill it off. 

My take. The extra income from the cap will be beneficial for the transformation of the economy. Money doesn't drop down from the sky and we need to discourage the not in my backyard syndrome. 

Inflation is down 0.8%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%
March: -0.3%
April: -0.5%
May: -0.4%
June: -0.3%
July: -0.4%
August: -0.8%
September: -0.6%
October: -0.8%


For the month of October, both Education & Food rose by 3.7% and 1.8% respectively year on year. Inflation went up for communication but it was offset by a larger than expected drop in Housing & Utilities. As a result, even compared to last month, Inflation was down.


Looking at the current trend now, it would seem that the average inflation for this year would be negative. However, in terms of the inflation of everyday expenditure, it would have risen. The average cost of food for myself have increased in the early second half of this year. Oil prices however will keep inflation down, most probably.

4% pay rise shows the big disconnect with reality

You have news that

- growth is slowing down all over the world, including China

- retail giants are losing money quarter on quarter

- property giants are losing money

- oil and gas giants are losing money

- technical recession is happening all across Asia and the world

And yet, there is news that there are salary rises next year by 4%. If that doesn't show the obvious disconnect with reality, I am not sure what will. Drawing an analogy, it's like saying that you are giving your children a 4% raise in allowance when your salary is being reduced and your job might not be around next year. 

Ridiculous right?

Inflation is down by 0.6%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%
March: -0.3%
April: -0.5%
May: -0.4%
June: -0.3%
July: -0.4%
August: -0.8%
September: -0.6%

For the month of September, both Education & Clothing & Footwear rose by 3.5% and 2.3% respectively year on year. Inflation is stable compared to the previous month, with only clothing & footwear showing some noticeable difference. In fact, if clothing & footwear was excluded, inflation would have went down further.

As mentioned, I am still of view that US is going to slowly raise their rates at least once this year but since we are closed to the end of the year, the effect won't be seen this year.

Looks like there may not be any inflation this year.

Inflation is down by 0.8%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%
March: -0.3%
April: -0.5%
May: -0.4%
June: -0.3%
July: -0.4%
August: -0.8%

For the month of August, both Education & Food rose by 3.7% and 1.9% respectively year on year. Inflation has been trending up month on month, most noticeably on Housing & Utilities, but inflation is negative most probably due to the high base last year.

I am still of view that US is going to slowly raise their rates at least once this year so we might be in a state where inflation is low, but interest rates are ticking up.

Don't complain when you are not recognized at work

I thought that I should write a short note on the outcome of the recent general election results. Let's stop harping on what happened previously and look forward to the future since the election is over.

However, some Singaporeans have lost their right to complain that they are not recognized at work because some of them voted out a member of parliament that was working full time on their issues, unlike most of the other members. If you don't recognize the hard work that your mp put in, don't expect others to recognize what you did. That's the precedent that you have set for yourself. 

I worry for our future. 

What I have not yet heard so far

I have been very busy for the past few years so I have not got much time to blog about issues close to my heart. Looking at the current election rallies, I think some of the points have not yet been brought up, which I find important for us to move forward. 

First and foremost, the focus on GDP. Just google around and you will realize that there are many papers written about the focus on GDP does not necessarily translate to benefits for the citizens. In my opinion, this is especially true for us. Why?

First, our workforce. Most of our workforce are foreigners coming in. They don't have roots here. Some do not have families here. What do they do? Send most of their money back to their own country. What is the effect? No downstream effect to the rest of the businesses that usually flourish due to more disposal income. Evidence? Franc franc, borders, provision shops. All of them are leaving or closing. Why? Think about it. 

Next is the over focus on what I term as elitism education. Why do I say that? Let's go back to the basics. Do you learn how to build a wooden chair by reading the theories, going to exams and getting an A? Ask all the graduates of our universities on their practical experience. Look at all the highly paid CEOs , permanent secretaries of our statutory boards and ministries. How many have practical experience in the domain of which they are supposed to lead in strategy and direction? Is running a business all about money? Did Microsoft and Apple get to where they are because of the bottom line?

Last but not least, the unfair advantage of foreign companies in Singapore. Yes. You heard me right. In other countries, local companies usually have the home advantage but not here! I am not even going to cite examples because if you are in the SME, you will know this issue very well. You have foreign companies bringing in cheap labour from other countries to be based in Singapore due to some unknown pacts that were signed by our government. These people come for the short term, earn little from our perspective because their standard of living is not as high as Singapore, and go back. Quality may be questionable too. How do SMEs compete against such unfair advantage? The worst part is that this unfair advantage is totally supported by the government. Our standard of living is very high so there are expectations of a higher salary. We have families here and houses to pay for. When we try to hire foreign workers we get slapped by a high ratio quota. Coupled with the fact that we  may sometimes face an entitlement issue with local workers who sometimes don't even have any shred of practical experience and yet ask for high pay, how can local companies compete and most importantly, innovate?

I leave it as that for anyone who bother to read this to ponder on it. It's not like we don't have money. We are making money but yet, we only spend 50% of what we earn on ourselves. As I recall, I don't think we are a listed company. Even then, look at Amazon. They plough their profits back to r&d to improve and innovate. 

What are we doing? A case of scrounge mcduck?

Let's step back and think about what we want for the country. We are unique in the sense because all we have is human capital. If we don't invest in ourselves and be happy, how do we move forward?

Something to think about. I have reached my mrt stop. Another day of meetings.  

Fill in excel form to register with MFA?

I've been repeatedly seeing the MFA encouraging Singaporeans in Bangkok to register with MFA. However, does MFA realized that their eregister system is not yet functional and the webpage only ask the person to fill in a complicated excel file and email to an email address? Who will bring a laptop overseas so that they can fill in the excel form? Shouldn't they provide an easier way to do it for this situation???

Lack of creativity and collaboration

Just read a Bloomberg article that pretty sums up the major issues that Singapore faces today, most importantly, the education system which is going down the wrong direction for a long time with its obsession in theory tests, which is in reality useless in the working world. 

Below is a snippet of the Bloomberg article: 

The rapid buildup in the immigrant population, from 5 percent in 1980 to 29 percent in 2014, has spurred a fierce backlash. Rising living standards have led to plunging fertility rates and longer lifespans: Singapore is now one of the fastest-aging societies in the world. The emphasis on big multinationals and government-linked companies has held back the development of small and middle-sized enterprises. In education, standards are world-class -- except when it comes to creativity and collaboration.

Government really pro small businesses?

The Singapore government has always highlighted that they are pro small businesses, helping SMEs but is that really felt on the ground? The key issue for small businesses is always about cash flow, where you may get lots of deals but unable to get any cash because of the constant changes in requirements or because of outside competition from other countries who are not affected by the manpower quota and can charge much cheaper than Singapore based countries. 

In the United States, very often quoted as a hub of innovation, has bills that allow banks to make loans to qualifying small businesses, and the agency in-charge guarantees them, allowing lower interest rates and companies with short credit histories to obtain capital.

That is something that is missing over here. Is it because we have policy makers who have no idea the issues that the SMEs really feel on the ground?

Inflation is down by 0.3%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%
March: -0.3%
April: -0.5%
May: -0.4%
June: -0.3%

For the month of June, both Education & Food rose by 3.1% and 2% respectively year on year. Inflation has been quite stable compared to previous month but it is slowly ticking up as mentioned previously. The trend will continue, bearing any external shocks.

However, US is going to slowly raise their rates so we might be in a state where inflation is low, but interest rates are ticking up.

Result of withdrawing bus routes parallel to train routes

What does the recent breakdown of the North South Line and the East West Line tell us? It was a wrong call to withdraw bus routes that duplicate the train routes. When the line is down, there is absolutely no way that a person can get home and all the buses deployed is of no use because there are just too many people stranded at the same time. 

Don't go comparing with other countries having train breakdowns because I know for the fact that at least one of the countries, Japan, has parallel train routes and their railway is designed in such a manner that they can bypass certain stations if need to. 

Immediate need is to reinstate bus routes that run parallel to the train routes. That would also incentivized the train operators in doing preventive maintenance properly, not corrective maintenance. 

Reap what you sow

For those who were quick to criticize about the Amos Yee issue, just remember one thing. It was his choice to be remanded. 

Amos Yee had previously rejected the option of probation and a term in the Reformative Training Centre as a sentence, sticking to his original plea for a jail term.

Be objective in your criticism.

Inflation is down 0.4%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%
March: -0.3%
April: -0.5%
May: -0.4%

Apologies as I was quite busy the past few months, so much that I forgot that I have not yet posted last month's inflation rates. For the month of May, both Food & Education rose by 1.8% and 3.1% respectively year on year. Transport inflation was surprisingly trending higher, even though inflation seems to be tame in many parts of the world.

As mentioned, Transport inflation has trended higher but surprisingly, housing & utilities inflation is trending lower than usual. Inflation is slowly ticking up but looking at the inflation trend, it seems that it is still on a downward trend.

Inflation is going to be negatively impacted this year. We have not yet have any months with positive inflation so far, so we might be having near 0 experience

Inflation is down 0.3%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%
March: -0.3%

Both Education & Communication rose by 3.5% and 2.5% respectively year on year. Both Transport and Housing & Utilities inflation has trended lower, continuing the trend from last month. Surprisingly, food inflation has also went down, which may be due to the lowering of the oil price which has a knock off effect on almost everything.

Inflation has already started trending higher and the price of oil has steadily increased.This trend will most probably continue until May when the April results are out. Transport inflation and housing inflation should also start to trend upwards from there on.

Truth behind famous Amos?

The news that keep cropping up recently is Amos's Youtube rant online. I did not have a chance to see the video but I did see his post about his secondary school life, which to my surprise, something I can relate to.

It has been decades since I left secondary school and I'm quite surprised that the problems I faced in school last time still exists in this current day. Let me bring up 2 main points.

In school or even in the working world, there always seem to be a trend to be socially acceptable. And to be socially acceptable, it means you must blend in with a group. If you are not able to find a group with the same thinking as you, you will be ostracised, which is the best thing that can happen to you. The worst thing that can happen to you is that you'll be bullied or in this generation, cyber bullied because you do not fit in with the "norm". Although Amos does have an issue of having almost 0 EQ, this should not be an excuse for others to take advantage of.

I am surprised that till now, this kind of teaching still exist because I can relate to it personally. No matter how much rote learning is done, it would do no one any good if the foundation is not built up properly. Giving me 50 variations of a question is totally useless if I do not understand the foundation behind the question. What's the goal of going to school? The goal is to learn. How do you know that you have learned enough? There are exams. So what happens if whatever that you were taught is not good enough to pass the exams? Regardless of what issues the teachers are facing now, we need to go back to the objective of learning in school. I would like to issue a challenge to anyone, if a student can go through the entire syllabus for the year without tuition and still get an acceptable score that allows you to proceed to the next stage.

Can anyone do that now? Seeing the complaints I hear from my friends with kids, I seriously doubt so.

Do not be distracted by the style that Amos used to write his rants. Look beyond that, and look at the essence of what he said. Are you sure the essence of what he wrote has not struck a chord within you?

By the way, he writes remarkably well for a secondary school graduate.

Inflation is down 0.3%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2015:
January: -0.4%
February: -0.3%

Both Education & Food inflation again rose by 3.6% and 2.5% respectively year on year. Both Transport and Housing & Utilities inflation has trended lower, continuing the trend from last month.

This trend will most probably continue until May when the April results are out. Transport inflation and housing inflation should also start to trend upwards from there on.

How does independent accountant safeguard spending of public monies?

I read with interest on the Singapore Government’s unprecedented move in seeking to appoint independent accountants to safeguard its grants to AHPETC. My question is simple. If AGO's audit is insufficient in guaranteeing that the monies are well spent, why is this move only specific to AHPETC.

What's the assurance that the other town councils are also spending the monies wisely? Has MND forgotten about the investment of the sinking funds in Lehman Brothers? Is this investment wise? Aren't those monies public funds? Why wasn't there an independent auditor appointed for that case?

Instead of appointing independent auditors to audit AHPETC again, I feel that MND  should take the chance now to have a overall framework in place to govern all the town councils to prevent misuse of grants for all, not only specific to AHPETC. I don't see the point of consistently trying to audit AHPETC and diverting their attention away from the normal work done by town councils.

With all the talk about over payment, MND should instead take over the calling of the procurement for the town council system instead of letting individual town councils call their own, especially when the town council system is owned by someone closely affiliated with a political party. You don't see Oracle using SAP software if their own software can do the same functions right?

Seriously, in the real world, no one uses a competitor's product for their core business and I don't see why this is called overpayment when the other party didn't even submit a bid.

This year is obviously an election year because the government has spent their surplus accumulated over the term. No leader will take the risk of spending all the surplus in a period of slow growth.

If the auditors are appointed, the results would most probably come out around Sep, which is right about when an election may be called soon, looking at the busy calendar in Singapore and around the world. This court order is not depoliticalising the issue. My take that this is further politicalising the issue.

Ominous omen for downtown line

All along I've been wondering why on earth the authorities would even think of ending the downtown line at an LRT line, and to top if off, the most frequently broken down LRT line in Singapore as of today.

The issue with the LRT line this week is an ominous omen on what is to come when the downtown line is finally open. Just imagine. If the LRT line is down, think of the repercussions on downtown line and all the other connecting lines to it.

It will cause a massive slowdown for all the affected lines and there's nothing we can do about it because there is no additional rail to bypass affected stations. To top it off, the authorities removed most bus routes that duplicate the train routes making it even worse because there are no alternatives.

Is everyone only thinking of the positive scenarios and did not think of the negative scenarios?