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20 Jan 2020
Housing Development Board
Suggestion View - 1
Build soundproof spaces in HDB flats

When my family moved into our first HDB home, the directive was that we must not keep livestock in the flat. My mum and dad were always ready to help the neighbours. We had a telephone that my father needed to run his market stall business. All the neighbours - there were 12 units on our floor - were welcome to use the telephone. In turn, we went to a neighbour's flat to watch the National Day Parade on their TV. We exchanged festive food and there wa......



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20 Jan 2020
National Environment Agency
Feedback View - 1
Construction noise rules don't give enough protection to neighbours

I refer to Ms Tan Lay Hong's letter (Help needed for residents living with prolonged construction noise, Dec 21, 2019) and the National Environment Agency's (NEA) reply (NEA seeks to ensure compliance with construction noise regulations, ST Online, Dec 28, 2019). I fully understand Ms Tan's plight and do not think NEA's reply is of any help to her. I, too, live in a terraced house. In the last two years, two of my neighbours, living a few doors away, did major recon......



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20 Jan 2020
People Association
Reply View - 1
Tiering helps keep prices lower for bulk of Chingay tickets

We thank Mr Alan Chin for his views (Chingay ticket pricing strategy deters people from attending parade, Jan 16). The annual Chingay Parade brings people from diverse backgrounds together to experience our rich multi-ethnic culture. Chingay is a not-for-profit event. The sponsorship by many corporate and community partners and the efforts of 6,000 volunteer performers and behind-the-scene helpers keep ticket pricing affordable. The price tiering appr......



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20 Jan 2020
Land Transport Authority
Suggestion View - 1
Current road tax regime penalises electric vehicles

Despite their growing popularity worldwide, electric vehicles (EVs) continue to face obstacles gaining traction here. One obstacle that is less spoken of is the annual road tax. Singapore's current road tax regime makes EVs more expensive to own compared with a petrol car of similar size and performance. This pushes car buyers towards petrol cars instead of EVs. Yet EVs are far more efficient than petrol cars, being more environmentally friendly and coming with less......



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20 Jan 2020
Prime Minister Office
Feedback View - 106
What is the point of segregating the data by citizen type?

Minister Chan Chun Sing asked - what is the point of segregating the data between citizen and permanent resident? The answer is obvious - there is a perception that local born citizens have a higher risk of losing their jobs through retrenchment and are forced to take a job as a driver or delivery crew, just to make a living.  The perception is that a large number of the new jobs go to permanent residents and foreigners, which could have gone to these locally b......



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20 Jan 2020
Ministry of Health
Feedback View - 117
Difficult to make an appointment at polyclinic

I faced the following problem in making an appointment to visit the polyclinic. Here is my feedback. I went to the website and was asked to download the Health Hub app. OK, I did that. I was asked to select the institution. When it came to the polyclinic, I had to choose between Sing Health and National Health Group. I wanted to go to Ang Mo Kio polyclinic, but did not know which group it belongs to. Surely, they could have just listed all the polycli......



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20 Jan 2020
Ministry of Social & Family Dev
Suggestion View - 117
Prerequisites for new citizens

I wish to give my views about prerequisites for new citizens. The biggest problem with granting citizenship to foreigners is that they compete with local born citizens (locals) for jobs and have an advantage over the locals who had to serve two years of national service and 10 years of reservist duty.  The locals enter the workforce two years later than those who do not serve national service and have two years less in working experience.  E......



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19 Jan 2020
Out of the box
Feedback View - 102
Is crony capitalism a form of corruption?

The Online Citizen has a report that Singapore has a high rating for being "non-corrupt" but ranks 4th on the crony capitalism index. Is crony capitalism a form of corruption? a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theonlinecitizen.com%2F2017%2F01%2F27%2Fsingapore-7th-least-perceived-corrupted-country-but-yet-4th-highest-in-crony-capitalism%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0j_4YIUxpMbWwro3lc2iYh-MAxSiKIWS6......



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18 Jan 2020
Prime Minister Office
Suggestion View - 254
To build an inclusive society

Whenever I hear PM Lee say that he wants to build an inclusive society, I wonder what he means. He may have a different understanding of an "inclusive society" from what I have. Let me say what I understand this condition to be. One research institute says that an inclusive society aims at empowering and promoting the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, ......



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18 Jan 2020
Ministry of Health
Feedback View - 3
Don't require means testing to downgrade to subsidised care

I fail to understand why private patients in public hospitals who wish to downgrade to subsidised care need any form of means testing (More clarity needed on polyclinic referrals and accessing subsidised care, Jan 16). Isn't it the right of a Singaporean to choose the type of hospital care he deems fit for himself, irrespective of whether he has been a private patient before or is better off? To subject someone to means testing just because he wants to downgrade fro......



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18 Jan 2020
Ministry of Health
Suggestion View - 4
Assume that those who get polyclinic referral want cheaper treatment

I was greatly alarmed to read that patients may be being influenced into unknowingly opting for a more expensive treatment plan when their main intention was to get a cheaper one (More clarity needed on polyclinic referrals and accessing subsidised care, Jan 16). Polyclinics serve many working-class Singaporeans whose companies may not offer much in the way of medical benefits. The second major group that polyclinics serve are retirees who worry about high medical costs. b......



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18 Jan 2020
EZ Link
Reply View - 2
Ez-link card expiry date needed as performance may deteriorate

We thank Mr Marcus Foong Jun Hao for his feedback and suggestion (Do away with expiry date of ez-link card, Jan 9). An ez-link card is valid for use for five years from the date that it is activated for use by EZ-Link. The expiry date is necessary because, apart from wear and tear to the card, the performance of the chip inside the card may deteriorate over time, similar to all electronic devices. Card replacement is required to ensure that all our customers can con......



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18 Jan 2020
Ministry of Education
Suggestion View - 1
Did needy student fall through the cracks?

It is commendable that Xinmin Secondary School student Aqil Nasran Shah Nizam Shah managed to do well for his O-level examinations despite the odds (Student who had to skip meals savours success, Jan 14). At the same time, I'm concerned whether he might have slipped through the cracks. The Straits Times reported that he once collapsed during assembly, and it was attributed to the financial difficulties he and his family faced. His teacher helped by buying him bread, and his classm......



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18 Jan 2020
Ministry of Law
Suggestion View - 128
Alternative to POFMA

The govt has to pass a ridiculous law called POFMA. It is now being used to deal with alleged false statements issued by opposition parties. In some cases, these are just alternative opinions, but the minister invoked POFMA in an unfair way. What is the alternative to a law on POFMA? I am often the target of personal attacks, which I suspect to come from PAP sympathizers. This is how I deal with them. a) If the attacks are in my Facebook page, I delet......



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17 Jan 2020
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Penalties for firms that discriminate against locals not harsh enough

I read with concern that there were around 2,000 complaints of discrimination against hiring of Singaporeans from 2014 to 2018 (Firms to pay heavier price if they don't give locals a fair shot at jobs, Jan 15). Much stiffer action must be taken against offending firms which deliberately deceive the authorities. I believe the new changes to the Fair Consideration Framework do not inflict sufficient pain to effectively cut down cases of firms evading the hiring of ade......



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17 Jan 2020
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 2
Consider quota system in tandem with Fair Consideration Framework

Singaporeans should always be given priority for jobs that they can and will do, such as in information technology, administration and operations (Firms to pay heavier price if they don't give locals a fair shot at jobs, Jan 15). There will always be ways for firms to get around the Fair Consideration Framework, by, for example, not calling Singaporeans for an interview, unreasonable language considerations, perfunctory job postings and/or interviews, setting low pay, or unfair pr......



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17 Jan 2020
Consumers Association Of Singapore
Suggestion View - 2
Raised pump prices smack of opportunism

Early this month, petrol retailers in Singapore raised pump prices by three cents a litre (S'pore pump prices at record highs after killing, Jan 8). The reason cited was the killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani on Jan 3. Crude oil prices were expected to rise, given the uncertainty over how Iran will respond to the killing. This smacks of opportunism. Pump prices had already gone up by three cents a litre just before Christmas. Compared with 18 months......



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17 Jan 2020
Ministry of Trade & Industry
Reply View - 1
Employment data already provided in Parliament

Mr Sin Wei Xiang has misquoted Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat in his letter (Breaking down data can aid public discourse, Jan 15). Mr Chee did not say that providing employment data for citizens and permanent residents would drive a wedge between different groups in society. In his Facebook post on Jan 8, Mr Chee said the data had already been provided in Parliament on Jan 6 and asked why Mr Pritam Singh failed to acknowledge this fact in his Jan 7 F......



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17 Jan 2020
Out of the box
Suggestion View - 99
Queuing for popular items

People can queue for many hours, sometimes days, for popular products, for example: a) new product releases b) admission to primary schools c) booking of hot properties Sometimes, the long hours of queuing could lead to disputes among the people in the queue. Sometimes, proxies are used to stand in the queue in payment for a fee by the intended buyer.  Surely, there is a better way to handle the allocation of priority?  ......



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16 Jan 2020
Housing Development Board
Feedback View - 3
Waste of time, effort for flat owners to sort out their own noise issues

It was heart-rending to read about the plight of a fellow Housing Board flat dweller who faced almost insurmountable difficulties to try to resolve a noise issue with his neighbours (S'pore's first Exclusion Order: Man's noisy neighbours say they will not comply, Jan 7). But it was even more depressing to continue to hear from others concerned that such issues have not been given the right treatment, even though so many Singaporeans live in HDB flats (Leaving feuding neighbours to......



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16 Jan 2020
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 4
Ban employers from asking about previous salaries

Like the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), I believe that Singapore can learn from other countries on how to narrow the gender pay gap (Look to other countries' efforts to narrow the gender pay gap, Jan 13). Besides Aware's suggestions of encouraging uptake of paternity leave and recruiting returners to the workforce, another step is to ban employers from asking prospective employees about their salary history. Such bans exist in certain states i......



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16 Jan 2020
People Association
Suggestion View - 6
Chingay ticket pricing strategy deters people from attending parade

The Chingay - an annual street parade organised by the People's Association during the Chinese New Year period - showcases Chinese culture and traditions with exciting performances such as lion dances and a procession of floats. Tickets to the parade are priced according to the day selected and the seating plan. For instance, tickets for the first day are cheaper than those for the second day. And seats that are near the VIP sector are priced higher than normal seat......



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15 Jan 2020
Prime Minister Office
Feedback View - 99
Use of e-payment cards

Many banks in Indonesia issue e-payment cards. They call it e-money. The e-money cards are anonymous. They are topped up by transferring cash into the e-money cards at convenience stores, supermarkets and at banks. The e-money cards are used to pay road tolls and parking fees. They are also accepted in many supermarkets and convenient stores.  The merchants have only one device which is linked to a gateway that connects to the various participati......



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15 Jan 2020
Prime Minister Office
Feedback View - 77
Use of e-payment in Jakarta

My friend in Jakarta have 3 children, aged 9 to 16 years. Their mother gave them a mobile phone each, and top up their e-wallet every day. The children use the mobile phone to make payment using QR code. I was surprised. It seems that many people in Jakarta use e-payment. It seemed to be more common than in Singapore. I hear so many excuses in Singapore. In spite of the encouragement by PM Lee to move to e-payment over 2 years ago, nothing much has happened. ......



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15 Jan 2020
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Govt and society have roles to play in ensuring employability

The arguments in Mr Johann Loh Runming's letter are premised on one assumption: Personal responsibility takes precedence over social and governmental responsibilities (Not Govt's role to ensure employability, Jan 10). If we were to extend his line of reasoning to other areas of public administration, say, national defence, are we then to say that we should do away with conscriptio......



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15 Jan 2020
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 2
Breaking down data can aid public discourse

In the debate over employment data and requests for stratified data for Singapore citizens versus permanent residents (PRs), Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat said "we must firmly reject all attempts to drive a wedge between different groups within our society" (Chee Hong Tat: Data on employment is clear, Jan 10). The Ministry of Education has been publish......



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15 Jan 2020
Ministry of Culture, Comm & Youth
Suggestion View - 1
Protect teaching, learning of mother tongue

Retired university professor Margaret Chan, in her commentary in The Straits Times, highlighted that from 1999 to 2019, the proportion of Singapore households with Primary 1 children who speak mostly English at home grew from 42 per cent to 71 per cent, 55 per cent to 70 per cent, and 18 per cent to 67 per cent for Chinese, Indian and Malay households, respectively (English, mother tong......



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14 Jan 2020
Ministry of Defense
Suggestion View - 13
Wise move to acquire high-tech military assets

The move by the Ministry of Defence to purchase elite stealth fighter jets and related equipment is a wise one (US govt gives go-ahead for sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to S'pore, Jan11). There will be people out there who might consider the latest purchase a waste of money, while some foreign observers could wonder what Singapore is up to - given the existing military and relatively sophisticated assets of our Singapore Armed Forces. We should always be prepare......



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14 Jan 2020
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 6
Good reasons for Singaporeans to be anxious about employability

Singapore has no natural resources, and its strongest attribute is a talented and well-educated workforce, which helps in attracting foreign companies to set up shop and invest here. Without natural resources, the Government needs to attract foreign investments, in order to sustain a continual positive economic performance. Contrary to what Mr Johann Loh Runming believes, Singaporeans are not expecting the Government to ensure their employability (Not Govt's role to......



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14 Jan 2020
Housing Development Board
Feedback View - 3
Leaving feuding neighbours to sort out issue may not be best approach

The impasse that arises when an agreement cannot be reached in disputes involving difficult neighbours is symptomatic of the values of our society (New process needed to tackle neighbour disputes quickly, Jan 13). What is noise to one is music to another, and both are right from their perspectives. Even if the ruckus is persistent and apparently annoying, no one is at fault. There are no concrete rules on social behaviour and as long as no one complains, one can do ......



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