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Josephine Teo responds to critics by saying, a honest conversation is needed for millennial families

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8 years ago

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Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo has responded to criticism over her comments that couples need ‘a very small space to have sex’.

Ms Teo posted in her Facebook on Wednesday night (12 Oct) that the media reports of her interview on the subject ‘might not have captured everything in the way” she had intended.

She added, “But in all seriousness, we need an honest conversation on how, as a society, we can get ready for Millennial families.”

“Every way I turn, I see more of our Millennials boldly stepping up to overturn long-held assumptions about what Singaporeans can and cannot achieve.” said Ms Teo.

Ms Jolene Tan, head of advocacy and research at the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) remarked on its Facebook, “It’s clearly meant as a joke, (but it’s) fallen a bit flat.”

“There’s still many barriers… Many women still face discrimination at work. Working hours in Singapore are still (much) longer than many other [similar] advanced economies.”

“The joke hit the wrong note for many because it reflects a ‘hit-and-run’, ‘conceive baby first, ask questions later’ mentality that also seems to animate ineffective ‘incentives’ (e.g. Baby Bonus cash gift) and badgering messaging around conceiving.”

Ms Tan wrote on, “The better policy moves (childcare provision, paternity leave) address structural barriers to parents meeting their needs, but there remains a deeper difficulty in reconciling aspirations to parenthood and the pressures of a family-unfriendly work culture, employment insecurity, financial pressures, inadequate support for shared caregiving etc. Those, not where to have sex (which we can sort out ourselves, thanks), are the hard questions that affect the total fertility rate.”

citizen-birth-rate

The National Population and Talent Division noted in its September report that the number of citizen births increased for the second consecutive year since 2014, to 33,725 citizen births last year. This was the highest in more than a decade, higher than in 2012 (Dragon year). The median age of citizen mothers at first birth remained at 30.3 years in the last two years.

However, Singapore is troublingly one of the countries with the lowest fertility rate.

low-fertility-rate

Number of Children Per Woman (2014)

A number of international publications such as BBC have since reported on Ms Teo’s comment.

Many netizens frown upon Ms Teo’s earlier remark from the interview, because people – especially young people – took her seriously, as could be seen on some of their comments quoted below.

  • Suee Yan Lai Planning to have a house before having children is far beyond just wanted to have ‘space’ for sex, after all, I doubt couples staying with parent live a sexless marriage life regardless planning for children or not… I just cannot believe that such comment comes from a highly educated LEADER that supposed to be responsible for Singapore life-hood. Very disappointed actually. This basic common sense or logic once should have are being ignored and twisted for some reasons… I agreed that young couples not having children is a very complex and difficult problem, and I don’t think it’s a one solution thing. But it’s look like her solution to it is far too convenience and make no sense. No matter how I look at it, no children for couples staying with parents cannot be due to no space for sex, because it kind of unreal that these couples live a sexless marriage??? I just cannot understand her logic??? Pardon my ignorance.
  • Tingting Trissie Actually we don’t need her to tell us that. There are places everywhere we are having sex at. Cinemas, handicap toilets, Parks, buses… of course we know. But we need a lot of space to take care of whatever comes after the sex. Nine to ten months later.
  • 长宁 I felt truly ashamed that our minister of international high acclaim could make such egregious and ridiculous public statement that defies common understanding. Evidently, the our leaders are completely out of touch with the ground if we also considered Tan Chuan Jin’s recent argument against licensing online gambling.
  • Chunhwa Tham Small space is one thing. But when one baby is pop out and the constraint space is a problem. Kindly explain your thought can? Can you consider the space issues not by space for living environment not space for sex.
  • Loke Fook Seng If couples can forgo privacy and go with a smaller space, so can HDB go with less profits and build flats in advance of needs rather than to have guaranteed buyers before building and therefore the few years’ wait. I think having a healthy TFR is more important than HDB showing healthy profits. I really wonder whether the government has tried hard enough.
  • Ginny Tan Easy said than done. Make sure your children will set such an example when they grown up as young adult then we will be more convinced! Parents definitely want the best for their kids even to the extend of providing them a space and shelter when they get married.

 

 

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Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

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1 day ago

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4 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

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Current Affairs

Chee Soon Juan questions Shanmugam’s $88 million property sale amid silence from Mainstream Media

Dr Chee Soon Juan of the SDP raised concerns about the S$88 million sale of Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow at Astrid Hill, questioning transparency and the lack of mainstream media coverage. He called for clarity on the buyer, valuation, and potential conflicts of interest.

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2 weeks ago

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23 September 2024

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On Sunday (22 Sep), Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), issued a public statement on Facebook, expressing concerns regarding the sale of Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow (GCB) at Astrid Hill.

Dr Chee questioned the transparency of the S$88 million transaction and the absence of mainstream media coverage despite widespread discussion online.

According to multiple reports cited by Dr Chee, Mr Shanmugam’s property was transferred in August 2023 to UBS Trustees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, which holds the property in trust under the Jasmine Villa Settlement.

Dr Chee’s statement focused on two primary concerns: the lack of response from Mr Shanmugam regarding the transaction and the silence of major media outlets, including Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp.

He argued that, given the ongoing public discourse and the relevance of property prices in Singapore, the sale of a high-value asset by a public official warranted further scrutiny.

In his Facebook post, Dr Chee posed several questions directed at Mr Shanmugam and the government:

  1. Who purchased the property, and is the buyer a Singaporean citizen?
  2. Who owns Jasmine Villa Settlement?
  3. Were former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong informed of the transaction, and what were their responses?
  4. How was it ensured that the funds were not linked to money laundering?
  5. How was the property’s valuation determined, and by whom?

The Astrid Hill property, originally purchased by Mr Shanmugam in 2003 for S$7.95 million, saw a significant increase in value, aligning with the high-end status of District 10, where it is located. The 3,170.7 square-meter property was sold for S$88 million in August 2023.

Dr Chee highlighted that, despite Mr Shanmugam’s detailed responses regarding the Ridout Road property, no such transparency had been offered in relation to the Astrid Hill sale.

He argued that the lack of mainstream media coverage was particularly concerning, as public interest in the sale is high. Dr Chee emphasized that property prices and housing affordability are critical issues in Singapore, and transparency from public officials is essential to maintain trust.

Dr Chee emphasized that the Ministerial Code of Conduct unambiguously states: “A Minister must scrupulously avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest between his office and his private financial interests.”

He concluded his statement by reiterating the need for Mr Shanmugam to address the questions raised, as the matter involves not only the Minister himself but also the integrity of the government and its responsibility to the public.

The supposed sale of Mr Shamugam’s Astrid Hill property took place just a month after Mr Shanmugam spoke in Parliament over his rental of a state-owned bungalow at Ridout Road via a ministerial statement addressing potential conflicts of interest.

At that time, Mr Shanmugam explained that his decision to sell his home was due to concerns about over-investment in a single asset, noting that his financial planning prompted him to sell the property and move into rental accommodation.

The Ridout Road saga last year centred on concerns about Mr Shanmugam’s rental of a sprawling black-and-white colonial bungalow, occupying a massive plot of land, managed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which he oversees in his capacity as Minister for Law. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, also rented a similarly expansive property nearby.

Mr Shanmugam is said to have recused himself from the decision-making process, and a subsequent investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) found no wrongdoing while Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean confirmed in Parliament that Mr Shanmugam had removed himself from any decisions involving the property.

As of now, Mr Shanmugam has not commented publicly on the sale of his Astrid Hill property.

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