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Chan Chun Sing advises business leaders to not lay off employees; Business owner claims she was told by MOM to do so

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5 years ago

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As Singapore’s economy takes a hit due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Singapore advised his grassroots leaders to not sack their workers during this difficult time.

Instead, he urges them to train their employees, as suggested by the Government.

While speaking at a closed-door meeting with local business owners organised by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) last week, Mr Chan said: “When you have spare capacity now, can you’ll don’t sack the workers immediately. Take the Government’s help to train the workers, use some chance to help the workers to stay around for a while, so you prepare for the next phase.”

He added, “If you let go of the workers immediately, then we are all in trouble again.”

Last week, the Government noted that it is anticipating a knock-on impact on other related industries and firms, mentioning that it is ready to support companies and employees in case of a broad-based slowdown in the upcoming months.

The Government also stated that some of the measures planned out include helping firms retain and train their employees by helping out with their partial salary costs.

Upon hearing Mr Chan’s point, a member of the audience raised a question to the Minister.

She said that although she agrees with what Mr Chan said on training her employees during this difficult time, but she was given a piece of different advice by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) when she visited them.

She highlighted that MOM stated that she should lay off her employees if she can’t retain them.

“I don’t want to sack my staff but MOM is asking me to sack my staff,” she said while in tears.

As a reply for this, Mr Chan said that people have to change their business model and diversify it.

“If you don’t change it and if you don’t diversify, even if we help you this time, we cannot help you the next time. We will make sure we help you, but you have to help yourself,” he expressed.

Elaborating further, Mr Chan said that businesses have to learn the “lesson about diversification” fast as it “affects you, it affects me [and] it affects all of us”.

Citing the tourism industry as an example, the Minister said that Singapore’s tourism market can grow even faster. He said that “tons of tourists are queuing up to come to Singapore…but I tell Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to not take them in.”

He continued, “We now don’t go on numbers and I will not allow the Chinese tourists to go more than 20 percent, not the Indian, not the Indonesian.”

This is because he doesn’t want Singapore’s tourism industry to be “held ransom” by the Chinese market.

As such, he urges the grassroots leaders to help him at the local level as he has done whatever he can on this issue at the national level.

Think beyond here and now

Separately, Mr Chan also said that people should also look beyond “here and now” and take this opportunity to figure out how “do we position your business and economy” to move faster than other countries after the COVID-19 crisis is over.

Citing the 2003 SARS outbreak as an example, he said that most countries only prepared to combat the disease at that point of time without thinking what’s going to happen once the outbreak is recovered.

As such, he said Singapore paid attention to position itself after SARS so that the country can “recover the fastest”. This is why Singapore’s economy went up by 14.5 percent the year after SARS outbreak was over, while other countries’ economy plummeted, he said.

“This is because while we were dealing with the current, we must make sure we think two steps down the road,” Mr Chan explained.

Therefore, the Minister noted that in Budget 2020, which will be tabled tomorrow (18 February), the Government will provide help to stabilise the current situation and support people and businesses on all the challenges that they are facing right now.

But, the Budget will also include another package to help position business beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

“So beyond the immediate help package, there will be a package which I hope you’ll seriously take advantage..which is to position your business beyond the crisis,” Mr Chan explained.

He added, “Then when finally the recovery comes, we can all do much better.”

COVID-19 in Singapore

The deadly COVID-19, first surfaced in the city of Wuhan, and has spread to over 28 countries, including Singapore. To date, the virus has claimed the lives of more than 1,700 people, mainly in China, and infected at least 70,4000 individuals globally.

The number of infections has exceeded the total reported cases during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003.

On Sunday (16 February), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed three more additional cases of COVID-19 in the Republic, bringing the total number 75. This is the highest number recorded outside of China. (excluding Japan’s cases on the cruise ship)

Since 7 February, Singapore has also raised its disease outbreak response level to orange, one step below red.

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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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2 days 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.

Published

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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