Announcing a reduction in the foreign worker quota and S-Pass worker ratio for the services sector, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said: “Relying on more and more foreign workers is not the long-term solution.” The Minister spoke as if it were an epiphany, a brilliant assessment that he has come up with when in truth, this was the exact same …

Goodies are generously being handed out with this year’s budget. Goodies for the young and old, for millennials and merdeka generation. Is this an election budget? The odds and signals certainly point in that direction. Amidst all the handouts, it’s easy to lose sight of the elephant in the room – the impending Goods and Service Tax hike from 7% …

Dr Tan Cheng Bock recently asked, “What’s happening to our reserves? Are our reserves all gone?” He will not get any answers because one of the country’s most closely guarded secrets is the nature and extent of the reserves. Even President Ong Teng Cheong came across a brickwall when he tried to find out about the reserves. It is a …

Dr Tan Cheng Bock has said that he wants to enter Parliament again to hold the government accountable on issues such the country’s reserves and the Central Provident Fund. It would suggest that there are currently no opposition Members of Parliament, when in fact there are six elected Workers’ Party MPs. Have the WP MPs not done enough to provide …

Less than a week ago, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat addressed widespread criticism that complacency has set in, leading to lapse after lapse by government agencies. “I reject the suggestion by some that the political leadership has allowed the  whole system to go slack,” he said. His ‘rejection” was headlined by the mainstream media. Yesterday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, …

Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen is the most disarming of Ministers. He is solemn and straight talking yet quick to turn the tables on anyone in his path. Replying in Parliament to Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh, who said that in the light of a spate of training deaths, the SAF’s zero-fatality goal was unrealistic, Dr Ng said: “Which …

The answer is ZERO. It’s a travesty that the buck never stops with the world’s highest paid politicians. Year after year, lapse after lapse, and no Minister has ever accepted responsibility and accountability. Even with the disgraceful escape of Mas Selamat, the Home Affairs Minister never owned up to responsibility. Instead, nine guards and security officers were disciplined and removed. …

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing is a dead giveaway. He started calling Halimah Yacob “Madam President” even before she had resigned as Speaker of Parliament to contest the presidency. Over the weekend, Chan gave the surest signal that the general elections are not far away. He kicked off his election talk – well, more like snake oil salesmanship, …

This week (8 February) marks the 17th anniversary of the passing of President Ong Teng Cheong. After the presidents we’ve had since his death, we have come to treasure and respect him more than ever. President Ong was a dutiful son of Singapore. Despite having previously served as a minister and deputy minister as a member of the People’s Action …

After the death of actor Aloysius Pang, training tempo was lowered and a committee of inquiry formed. Subsequently, it was announced that an Inspector-General’s Office would be set up to oversee safety practices. We know the script by now. With every tragedy and every lapse, with every case of mishandling and mismanagement, new committees of inquiry are formed and new …