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Opinion

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Compulsory counselling needed for women considering single motherhood through export of frozen eggs

Dr. Alexis Heng Boon Chin highlights concerns surrounding the extension of the age limit for elective egg freezing and the restrictions placed on single women seeking fertility treatment in Singapore. He suggests that legal loopholes allow women to export their frozen eggs for donor sperm IVF abroad. However, he emphasizes the need for compulsory counseling to ensure women fully understand the implications of pursuing single motherhood through this method, including potential legal discrimination, mishaps associated with foreign sperm banks, reduced IVF success rates, and challenges faced by mixed-race donor-conceived children.

ABSD: How long will Singapore continue flogging this dead horse?

In an opinion piece by Joseph Tan, the effectiveness of the Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD) in addressing price hikes in Singapore is questioned. Tan argues that the ABSD has failed to stabilize property prices and protect first-time buyers. Instead, the tax has pushed property prices higher, making housing less affordable. Additionally, the ABSD has created a disparity between household incomes and property prices, leading to financial struggles for many. The article calls for alternative measures to be considered to address the rising property prices effectively.

Colonial bungalow controversy: A window to the disparity between past and present leaders

In an opinion piece by Augustine Low, questions are raised about the occupation of colonial bungalows to ministers in Singapore. Low contrasts the modesty and selflessness of leaders like Dr Goh Keng Swee, who shunned opulence, with the current ministers who reside in ostentatious bungalows. He highlights the disconnect between these leaders and the struggles of ordinary people, questioning their ability to understand the challenges faced by the average citizen. The piece argues that when leaders become detached from the people, they lose touch with their needs and aspirations.

Deflecting and diverting instead of fixing system and policies

In this opinion piece, Augustine Low criticizes ministers for deflecting responsibility and avoiding solutions to pressing issues like high cost of living and housing affordability. Low calls out the ministers’ statements on rising incomes as insufficient explanations for these problems and urges the government to focus on addressing the concerns of the living instead of prioritizing “people not yet born.”

Singapore needs to move away from its broken system of COE

In this opinion piece by Robin Low, he argues that motorcycle dealerships in Singapore have been exploiting the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system, causing hardship for lower-income families and delivery businesses. He points out the flaws in the COE and Temporary COE (tCOE) systems and calls for a reevaluation of the approach, particularly regarding electric motorcycles, in order to create a more equitable and sustainable future.

Can’t afford to match the competition but can afford the world’s most expensive cabinet

DPM Lawrence Wong recently admitted Singapore cannot outbid the “big boys” for investments, emphasizing the need for ingenuity and innovation. However, with the world’s most expensive cabinet, one would expect Singapore to outperform the competition. Instead, Singaporeans see misplaced priorities such as raising GST amid high inflation and reviewing sky-high political salaries. Low argues that It’s time for these highly-paid leaders to focus on the right challenges.

They promise us the moon and the stars but what we see going up and up are GST, COE, BTO, S&CC and plenty more

In an opinion piece by Augustine Low, the author critiques Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s recent May Day speech, comparing it to an election rally speech. Low points out the numerous pledges and promises made but also highlights a list of concerns left unaddressed, such as cost increases in various aspects of life in Singapore. The author asserts that more people are growing fearful and struggling to cope with these cost increases, and they can’t rely on promises of sunshine and rainbows alone.

No or low-income patient in AV $13,001 house: Subsidy reduced from 80 to 30%?

In an opinion piece by Leong Sze Hian, he points out that Singapore’s Ministry of Health recently introduced changes to the healthcare subsidy framework, replacing the individual income means test with a per capita household income (PCHI) means test and considering dwelling type. While the goal is to better target subsidies, it may result in higher costs for patients with higher PCHI or dwelling type. Leong argues that the government must ensure the new framework does not overburden struggling individuals and address the broader issue of Singapore’s high healthcare costs, seeking fairness for all income levels.

Minister K Shanmugam’s contradictory stance on public statements made outside parliament raises questions

In this piece, Terry Xu discusses Minister K Shanmugam’s contradictory stance on public statements made outside Parliament, raising concerns about possible double standards. While Mr Shanmugam criticized Leong Mun Wai for a Facebook post, he later shared Chee Hong Tat’s commentary, which criticised Workers’ Party’s exchange with MPs from People’s Action Party, creating speculation about the Minister’s consistency in applying standards to different individuals.

Minister pulled off two head scratchers and one deflection

Opinion piece by Augustine Low on Minister Edwin Tong’s response to the proposal of an English test for citizenship in Singapore and his comments on high rental at Geylang Serai Ramadan bazaar. His statement that a significant proportion of Singaporeans throughout history have not been able to speak English well and his example of his 96-year-old grandmother not being able to pass the test are considered irrelevant and deflections from the issue. Additionally, his response to the issue of high rental rates for trade fairs and bazaars has been criticized as a deflection rather than addressing the problem.