by: Ghui/ Adrian (not his real name) has been selling food at a canteen in a university in Singapore for 6 years. Each contract lasts for 3 years and Adrian has successfully completed 2 terms. Earlier this year, he submitted a request for a further 3 years. He was not anticipating any changes as his food was generally enjoyed and business …

Howard Lee & Benjamin Cheah / "Hi, are you a resident of Potong Pasir?" "No no no..." You would be surprised at the number of people who are not Potong Pasir residents, but happen to be in Potong Pasir, when we dropped in for this article on a rainy Sunday morning. Or perhaps we looked like a couple of sneaky …

by: Ghui/ George Yeo and Lim Hwee Hua were both politicians who have made contributions to Singapore. George Yeo especially, was an outstanding Minister for foreign affairs. However, both have resigned from active politics after failing to win in Aljunied GRC in GE 2011. I am disappointed by their respective decisions because it signals a lack of willpower and commitment. …

Leong Sze Hian/ Over the last few weeks, we have encountered more than 10 cases of Singaporeans with HDB housing problems and homelessness. There was a Singaporean divorcee in her mid 40s, who works as a security guard for $1,300 a month, who downgraded to homelessness.  When we asked her where is she staying now?  She said “Most of the …

Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) founder and President Bridget Lew Tan was mentioned in a speech by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the release of the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP). In her speech, Clinton said: Our TIP – our TIP heroes today show us that individual action can lead to some astounding results. For example, …

Sophia Tsang/ In a letter to Today, MOM made a declaration regarding the Security Bond. ("Truth about the Security Bond" June 25 2011 ): It is aimed at ensuring that employers remain responsible for the proper upkeep and maintenance, as well as prompt salary payment to foreign workers It also prevents illegal deployment and ensures the timely repatriation of foreign workers. …

Deborah Choo/ In an unprecendented effort to form and crystalize a unified symbol for human rights, Germany has launched a world wide competition on 3 May in Berlin. The competition is running from now until 31 July, after which the contest enters the next stage where the panel of juries will select 10 finalists. This selection begins on 6 August …

Leong Sze Hian/ I refer to the reports “Charity sector to get public confidence boost” (Channel NewsAsia, Jun 25)and “Donations to charities up 13% to S$776m in 2010” (Channel NewsAsia, Jun 17). The latter states that: “... the sector remained dominated by charities earning less than S$250,000. They made up 42 per cent of the charity population last year, but …

by: Ghui/ The advent of the internet age has seen the prolific rise of websites such as Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. Their usage has been diverse, from virals promoting various products to broadcasting the latest breaking news. The impact of the internet in Singapore has most recently been seen in GE 2011. Videos of speeches were uploaded on YouTube, …

Ultimately what any country should be worrying about is not comparisons but differentiation. In Singapore’s case, with its strategic imperative of focusing on developing both its service industries and very high-end manufacturing, its differentiator must be the one thing that makes any nation or organisation successful – the recruitment, nurturing and retention of great talent. Singapore by dint of history, …