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16 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 192
Are we paying too much to outsource the bus operations

In recent years, the government collects the revenue from the bus operations and tenders out the operations to the bus operators.  This is supposed to be a good system to keep the cost of operations low through competition, but there is a risk that this system could be badly managed.  I share my views. The Land Transport Authority incurred a loss of $1 billion from the bus contracts. This means that the cost of the operations exceed ......



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14 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 237
A more efficient way to handle job interview

My friend migrated to Canada. He applied for a job as a software developer. There is a big demand for this skill in Canada. He told me that their process is different from Singapore. They take the following steps.  a) The recruiter telephone the applicant and have a phone interview.  b) The applicant has to do some coding assessment online. c) The applicant is then invited for a site interview. I remarked that this is a more ef......



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13 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 535
The ground is sour for PAP

After the judgment for the AHTC case was announced, a few people have expressed their anger in their conversation to me.  They asked for my view, but I told them that I did not follow the judgment closely. They expressed the following statements: a) The judgment was expected - implying that it is favorable to the political masters. b) They judgment was unfair, as the WP MPs were under pressure to find a managing agent. br /......



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13 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 133
Singaporeans have to think critically

Singaporeans have to think critically before expressing their opinion. When I suggested that the network of bus services is too many and should be streamlined. the majority oppose it because they find a big network to be more convenient.  The took the view after I have explained that a big network is more inefficiently and cost more to operate. There is a lower utilisation and many buses run more than half empty during the off peak period. When I......



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12 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 202
Top leaders must pay attention to problems and direct the people in charge to solve them

Someone sent me a message about my post on the way that the Public Utilities Board handled the water leakage in my home. He asked - do you seriously think that your prime minister should attend to this problem? Does he not have other more important things to do? Here is my reply. When Lee Kuan Yew was in charge, he paid attention to this kind of issues. He would give a telephone call to the person in charge of the PUB and asked - what do you think of the suggestion ......



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12 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 531
We need to change the way that Singapore is governed

We have a dysfunctional system under the leadership of Lee HL. We need to change the way that Singapore is governed. I add another example of my experience.  My utilities bill jumped up from a monthly average of $300 to $550. The increase was due to an excessive consumption of water.  We have been using water carefully. There was no change in the water consumption during the previous month. The Public Utilities Board came to c......



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11 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 193
Singaporeans should be more socially minded

In a panel discussion, Prof Tommy Koh said that many Singaporeans behave like citizens of third world countries.  This remark attracted criticism from several sources. Some people said that he was being unfairly critical of Singaporeans. A letter published in the Straits Times criticized him for being unfair to third world countries, which include many ASEAN countries.  I wish to give my views on this issue. I largely agree wi......



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11 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 115
Top management must take responsibility

My friend complained that Sing Post is now quite unreliable. Many of his mails were not delivered. He asked his bank to keep his statement and he would collect it personally at the branch. I considered that the top management of Sing Post should be blamed. Another person disagreed with me. He said that it was the individual postman who was at fault, and not the top management. I strongly disagree. The top management has the responsibility to ensure that the right pe......



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11 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 113
Address the root cause of the low birth rate

I was disgusted when I read this news. Who wants to have babies in Singapore when the boys have to serve national service which puts them at a big disadvantage compared to foreigners. Instead of addressing the root of the problem, this PM still thinks of increasing the population with permanent residents who become citizens (may I add, with no national service obligations). He will destroy the country that Lee Kuan Yew spent his life to build a strong foundation.......



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04 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 410
No need for PSLE exams to be so tough

Education minister Ong wanted to change the education system to reduce the stress for students. I examined his changes and declared that they do not address the root of the problem. I was proved right. What happened? I said that the underlying problem is that the education system aims to pick the top students for the top secondary school and later for scholarships to prestigious overseas universities.  If the reward is set at ......



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04 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 134
Reduce the waiting time at controlled crossings

A law was passed a few decades ago to make it an offense to jaywalk. All pedestrians have to go to a controlled crossing and wait for the green man to appear before crossing the road.  This law was implemented badly. Why? The planners created controlled crossings without proper regard for the convenience of the pedestrians. I use a pedestrian crossing near my home. On many occasions, the road was clear but the red man appeared. I h......



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01 Oct 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 213
Beware of deliberate falsehood

Someone shared a graphic stating that Singapore had external debt of $2.5 trillion and the CPF savings is insufficient to repay this debt. It quoted the source as a journalist from the Straits Times.  On checking the source, I found that the external debt is indeed $1.5 trillion USD (or $2.5 trillion SGD) but it is the total of the public and private sector debt. A large part of the debt comprise of deposits placed by foreigners in Singapore banks, probably in USD. It is not ......



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30 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 125
Give views in a constructive way

I wish to talk about how to give views in a constructive way.  I welcome views in my Facebook page, including views that are different from my views.  Here is how to give the views in a constructive way - state your views and the reasons for your views.  If presented in a constructive way, the views help to present a better understanding and perspective of the issue. I find the following views to be not constructive:br /......



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28 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 218
Make it easy for a former employer to provide a reference

I received a request from an employment agency in Canada to provide information on their background check of a former employee. I was able to answer several questions in a reply to a form, embedded in the email. They were answers that I was able to give easily based on my knowledge of the former employee. I find the questions to be relevant. My reply took less than 10 minutes as promised in their email. br /......



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26 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 264
Increase in public transport fares

The govt has announced a possible increase of 7% in public transport fares to cover higher operating cost.  This increase is excessive. Here are my reasons. a) The govt now collects the fares for the bus operations and pay the operators a fee to operate the services. b) The train operators do not operate on this business model. They collect their fares and pay their operating expenses. They claim that that fare is insufficient to cover their cost......



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23 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 134
Promote multi-racialism with positive measures

Lee HL is receiving a World Statements Award for fostering a society that embraces multiculturalism. I agree that we do not have racial and ethnic tensions. That is a positive aspect of Singapore. However, this outcome is the product of negative measures, such as: a) Maintenance of religious harmony act b) Laws that make it illegal to hold cause-related events without a valid licence fr......



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23 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 117
Be aware and avoid being a bigot

A bigot is a person who is intolerant of the views held by other people. The education system in Singapore has produced many people who are bigots. They hold a narrow minded view on issues and declare the other views to be wrong. They are strong minded and voice their bigoted views in a rude or arrogant manner. I used to call these people rude and arrogant. I now know of a more appropriate description - they are bigots.br d......



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21 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 115
Improve productivity with better wages

I share this observation to show the importance of improving productivity by paying better wages to local workers. We should not ask for all work to be outsourced through the public tender. The lamp posts at Cactus Park was being replaced. The productivity of the foreign workers assigned to do the job was low. I saw many of them idling during the afternoon, watching their mobile phone. Maybe it was too hot? On Saturday morning, they seemed to be working harder. I wo......



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19 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 257
How to reduce public transport fares

The govt wants to increase public transport fares to match the increase in operating expenses. The commuters are unhappy about the fare increases. However, I have to say that the commuters are not acting in a reasonable way. Why do I say it? For a long time, I had advocated that the bus services should be streamlined. We do not need 350 bus services to provide a complicated network of services around Singapore.  It is difficult to manage this com......



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19 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 219
Singapore companies should learn to be fair to customers

I do not like the way that many organizations do their business in Singapore. They abuse their monopolistic position to impose high cost to their customers and adopt questionable practices to place a ransom on their customers.  I like to share this example.  Many years ago, I decided to buy domain names ending in "sg" as it was supposed to convey a brand that sg has high integrity. I found that the annual cost of a "sg" domain was $60 compared to $10 for a......



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18 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 250
Does the PAP give citizenship to maintain the Chinese ratio at 76%

A non Chinese asked for my views about the perceived policy of the PAP to give citizenship to maintain the Chinese ratio in Singapore at 76%. I do not know if this is a correct reflection of the PAP policy.  My comment is that the PAP government is giving citizenship to too many people, whether Chinese or otherwise. It is a reflection of their poor performance - that they are not able to get the locals to produce enough children. It is bad to giv......



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18 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 77
How to tax the rich

Paul Krugman wrote in New York Times - How to tax the rich. Whether or not she becomes the Democratic nominee, Elizabeth Warren has brought something new to American politics; call it the charisma of wonkery. “Warren has a plan for that” has become a rallying cry for her supporters — and she has also impressed many serious policy experts with the sophistication of her proposals. But can she pay for her plans? Leave aside Med......



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16 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 416
Make it more attractive for employers to employ locals

Singapore has a dysfunctional employment system. The workforce is 3.6 million of which 36% or 1.3 million are foreign workers.  Many of the local workers have to work as taxi drivers and private car drivers or take up part time job because they are not able to get a full time job. Many employers prefer to employ foreign workers instead of local workers.  What is the problem and how can this be overcome? Here are the reasons why employer......



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10 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 392
Remove the root causes of the dysfunctional system

Singapore has a dysfunctional system of government. The govt wants to achieve the goals that are good for the people, but someone their strategies do not work. They cannot work because some of the key aspects of our approach work against each other.  What are they? a) We have high cost of living  b) We have a low birth rate, because families find it quite costly to have children. c) Jobs are going to foreigners.  What can ......



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06 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 277
Provide direct exits for MRT stations

I took the MRT to One North station and wanted to go to Pixel building. I got lost, in spite of having Google Map to guide me. What is the problem? The One North station comes out to a building called Fusionpolis. It is connected to other buildings, e.g. Galaxis. I did not want to go to any of these buildings. I just wanted to get out to the main road and look for Pixel building.  I had to depend on Google Map to get me out. However, Google Map d......



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04 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 150
Set price guidelines for many services

I am in favor of setting price guidelines for many services, e.g. health, repair work, tuition, transport, etc. I also like these price benchmarks to be placed in a website for easy reference.  In some cases, the service providers have to abide by the guidelines, e.g. if they wish to get paid partially from government funds, as is the case with health care.  Similarly, the observance of the price guidelines is a necessary condition for getti......



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04 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 180
Pay suppliers promptly to save cost

I heard that government agencies take a long time to pay their suppliers. This is a "stupid" way to do business.  Let me tell you why. When I was in charge of an insurance company, I instructed the finance manager to pay the motor repairers promptly when they receive the invoices. They wanted to wait for 30 or 60 days. I overruled them. I wanted the motor repairers to be paid promptly - as the price for the repairs have already been agreed, and t......



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01 Sep 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 254
The govt should not micro manage but should regulate and set the framework

Most people like to say - the govt should not micro manage. I agree.  But the govt should regulate and set the framework. They cannot leave matters to the market. They should not neglect their responsibility and duty.  What is the difference between regulate and micro manage? Here is the difference.  Micro manage means to interfere in minor matters that should be left to the parties concerned. Regulate requ......



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31 Aug 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 184
Govt agencies should stop collecting cash

I suggest that government agencies should stop collecting cash. They should insist of being paid through the QR system.  This will force people to move to the QR system. They can pay from their bank account with an app (under PayNow).  What about people who do not have an app or mobile phone? They can ask a friend or family member to make payment for them.  Most adults have a mobile phone and a bank account. They can make the payment.&n......



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29 Aug 2019
Movement for change
Suggestion View - 304
Take immediate action to rectify the dysfunctional policies

Singapore operates a dysfunctional system. The cost of living and cost of housing is too high. Most people rely on grants and subsidies to meet these high cost.  For example, many young people will not be able to afford the high cost of new flats (given the strange name of BTO flats) unless they are able to get government grants. Many still need the help of their parents to meet the down payments.  This means that foreigners will not be able to afford thes......



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