Article 6: Politics/Social Issues

Mattel recalls 1.5 million made in China toys

The Straits Times

3/8/2007

In an article in the Straits Times on the 3rd of August, toy-making giants Mattel issued a massive recall of its toys from shelves as a result of paint containing the highly-toxic lead was used by a large manufacturing company in China to paint the toys. The manufacturer, the largest export and producer of Mattel’s toys suffered losses of up to 30 million US dollars as almost 1.5 million toys it produced had to be taken off shelves.

This setback couldn’t have come at a worse time when the Chinese authorities are still struggling to contain the international fallout over earlier cases involving tainted food and harmful goods. China is the largest exporter of many consumer goods, and based on this recent report, my first impression is that the reputation of China and faith that consumers and importers have in it will be severely tarnished. Definitely massive, world-shaking implications will result

This incident means a lot as China is a rising country, poised to impact the world greatly in time to come. Such an incident will cause its lucrative manufacturing and export industries to lose much of their businesses and ties with countries around the world. A chain effect of events could happen which would shake the foundations of China and its government. Investors and consumers will cut ties with China, which will result in great economic loss. The millions of people in China would be out of jobs, and China’s target of using its large amounts of people to good in their industries would fail. A large percentage of blue collared workers work in this sector for China, and losing their jobs would result in poverty and much trouble for China. With the general reputation of China tarnished, many countries may pull out of promising investments with the country. Education of many young talents may stall, and economic progress will come to a standstill. If the above happens, it would be a very sorry decline for a country with so much promise and amount of talent.

A sales executive taking stocks of Mattel toys of the shelves

The fate of life is that once a costly mistake is made, the lasting impression is almost firmly rooted in the minds of consumers. Imagine how the chief executive of the manufacturer in China would feel about losing up to 30 million and their top partner cutting ties with his company? I for one, feel the immense weight on his shoulders. It could just be because of a bad quality of paint supply, but look at the massive implications of this. It definitely has shown me that in life, we should be mentally prepared and put in our best effort into everything, for the implications of slip-shod work are an insurmountable mountain of burden which is illustrated in the report. I understand that I know not of the technicalities behind such industries and that such errors in products are inevitable sometimes, but I from the point of view of parents, their children’s health is the most important, and will not hesitate to stop buying such products. In the business world, sympathy is lost once profit is concerned, and the affected company will suffer.

My hope, however, is that China will stand strong in this time of crisis and that their government would rally the support of the people, as they are the best and most valuable resource at the moment. The truth is that China is still relatively safe, as the ministers have proven. However, it is impression that matters and they have to take action immediately and secure the trust of the public and investors alike to reignite the flame in the ‘rising dragon’ in Asia and prevent it from breathing its last breath.

ARTICLE

Products reportedly coated in toxic paint; move another blow to China’sreputationBY TRACY QUEK CHINA CORRESPONDENT

In Beijing AMERICAN toy giant Mattel has issued a massive recall of its China-made toysbecause they are reportedly coated in toxic lead paint, dealing another blowto China’s embattled export reputation.The global recall, announced by Mattel in the United States on Wednesday,involves about 1.5 million toys sold in America and other countries, includingSingapore.The US toys are sold under Mattel’s subsidiary, Fisher-Price. They include the popular Big Bird and Elmo characters from the hit children’s television programme, Sesame Street.The toys were made by a contract manufacturer in China, which flouted Mattel’s production requirements by using a non-approved paint pigment containing lead, according to US media. Lead can cause brain damage in children.The toy recall is the latest in a flood of product safety scares to have hit China, battering its image to such an extent that leader’s worry the scandals could hurt its lucrative manufacturing and export industries. Officials are still struggling to contain the fallout from earlier cases involving tainted toothpaste, pet food and seafood, and have taken measures ranging from closing culpable factories to rolling out new safety rules.This latest scandal, however, could undermine attempts by Beijing to restore already eroded faith in the world’s biggest exporter of consumer goods to produce safe food, drugs or products.Should Mattel – the world’s largest toymaker and among the most reputable – cut down production or pull out of China, the move could prompt other firms to think twice about manufacturing or expanding production in China, say observers.“The company is currently investigating, and plans to review manufacturing procedures, said news reports.Five of the 10 factories Mattel owns and operates worldwide are based in China.These 10 make half of its toys.It also uses between 30 and 50 key vendors in China which produce the other half, said spokesman Julia Jensen. She said in an email: “Mattel has no immediate plans to abandon manufacturing in China...recall situations can happen regardless of where a product is produced.’’ While China did not respond immediately to the Mattel recall yesterday, at least three senior Chinese officials have defended China’s product safety record. Speaking at separate occasions over the last two days, Commerce Minister Bo Xilai, Deputy Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and senior product safety official Wei Chuanzhong insisted that most Chinese exports are safe and of good quality. All three also warned importing countries against unfairly singling outChina-made products. The recall involves 967,000 toys from US consumers and sellers and another 533,000 from other countries, including Britain, Singapore, Canada and Mexico.

tracyq@sph.com.sg

Article 5: Education

Big blow to Education

Article obtained from Channelnewsasia.com, 23/5/07

Student's future in doubt

This article highlights the shock closure of the University of New South Wales Asia campus in Singapore. Many enlisted students have been left in a loss and their future hanging in thin air.

Firstly, let me identify two issues in this episode. Firstly, it would be the impact on Singapore’s education. NSW Asia offers a wide range of courses from business to biosciences. The pullout of the university has a great significance in that it is a stumbling block in Singapore’s efforts to become a global schoolhouse. Singapore is a country that has limited resources and to increase its status and reputation on the world map, foreign talent is crucial. NSW in Singapore was expected to help to increase international students from 80,000 to a massive 150,000. Imagine the revenue which would be brought in and the impact it would have on Singapore. Foreign talent would be drawn in, and local students will get to experience a novel way of education not found in local universities. The biochemistry industry is also booming in Singapore now, and NSW offers such courses too. Without NSW, the previously enlisted students would lose out as most cannot afford to go overseas and they have to miss a portion of university schooling due to the sudden pullout. Hence, the loss of the university is definitely a big blow to Singapore’s hopes of expanding its industries and reputation as an educational powerhouse.

artist's impression of the would be campus of NSW Asia

The second issue is the accountability of the University and the Economic Development Board who initiated the project. From the perspective of a student, I might think that they were irresponsible. I believe that more effort should have been done to promote the university to local and foreign students. Could the university actually not afford to run with a financial burden, or were they just being cautious? Could the EDB have helped in easing costs the university would have to incur? From the student’s point of view, it is definitely a big issue as such decisions have made or broken their future. However, we have to think in the shoes of the university. I believe I lack understanding in that area. NSW is after all still a company which has to earn money, and if I were in their position, $140 million is too much a risk of a financial burden. It would be more worth it withdrawing then going bust in the middle of a business endeavour. Hence, looking from the economic side, the situation seems much more justifiable.

In conclusion, after reflecting on the article, my views have changed to a more balanced viewpoint. The two issues on the balance scale are definitely student welfare and financial issues. Would Singapore tilt the scale in favour of students, or would they be more cautious with such ventures in the future? Risky ventures might end up resulting in an economic downturn for Singapore. Hopefully, much more consideration and weighing of priorities would be done in the future to prevent such episodes from occurring again.

Newspaper article

University of New South Wales Singapore campus to shut in JuneBy Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 23 May 2007 1715 hrs



SINGAPORE: The University of New South Wales (UNSW) will close its campus in Singapore next month. The announcement came less than two months after its grand opening. The school said it was facing a financial shortfall of $15 million a year due to lower-than-anticipated student enrolment numbers. Its target was 300 students in its first semester. But it only got 148 students, 100 of whom are Singaporeans. If it were to continue building its campus in Changi, it would have to borrow $140 million. The school said both factors led to an unsustainable financial burden and it decided to call it quits in Singapore. Students have already paid their fees, which range between S$26,000 and S$29,000 a year. UNSW says these students will be offered a place at its home campus in Sydney. There will also be scholarships to help with the cost of travel and accommodation. UNSW has already invested over S$22 million (A$17.5 million) in its Singapore campus. It was invited by Singapore's Economic Development Board in 2004 to establish what would have been the first private comprehensive university in Singapore. The EDB had said the school was expected to contribute at least $500 million a year to the economy in direct spending. The EDB refuses to reveal how much it invested in the school. The episode is clearly damaging to Singapore's aim to be a global schoolhouse. But the EDB, which drives the global schoolhouse initiatives, believes it will still reach its target of attracting 150,000 international students by 2015. There are currently 80,000 foreign students in Singapore. Aw Kah Peng, EDB's Assistant Managing Director, said: "The learning point is that we have to continue working very hard. Truly, with every institution, it will be different. With each one, we have to put everything we can to think about all these issues of whether we can make it work, how long it will take for us to make it work, what will it take for us to make it work. We will then have to step forward on that basis." UNSW says it would have stayed on in Singapore if it has been allowed to scale down its student enrolment numbers to 2,000 students by 2012. But this would be quite far from the original bargain with the EDB which had set a target of 15,000 UNSW students by 2020. The UNSW closure does not mean that the EDB will no longer work with the school. The EDB says there are many areas of cooperation between UNSW and Singapore which are mutually beneficial. These include foundation schooling for university entry, research collaborations, University of New South Wales school competitions and joint programmes with Singapore institutions. EDB says it will continue to pursue these areas and strengthen its relationship with UNSW. - CNA/ir


Reference Article
Students shocked by UNSW Singapore campus closureBy Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 23 May 2007 2311 hrs
SINGAPORE: The decision to shut down the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Singapore campus comes as a shock to many students. The UNSW says students will be offered a place at its home campus in Sydney and there will also be scholarships to help with the cost of travel and accommodation. These scholarships will be based on needs and not on academic achievements. But most students Channel NewsAsia spoke to were not quite convinced. Many had chosen the Singapore campus because they could not afford to go to Australia. And though the school is helping out financially with the scholarships, it is not clear at this point in time how much exactly the school is willing to fork out. Still, the university claims that about half its students have indicated that they would like to go to Australia to continue their studies. Most of the local students who enrolled in the university come from the polytechnics. "It's quite an inappropriate time, with our exams coming as well. If they decide to close down after one semester, they should have done adequate research to see if this whole university was even feasible in the first place," said a student. "Knowing that the school is a creditable one, it is unbelievable that this thing can happen," said another. "I do not know what is the next step I need to do. To transfer to another school or go to Sydney? What is the option for us? Now, they have not known what are the private institutes we can go to to transfer in Singapore," said a third student. The school says that it is also in talks with local institutions and other universities in the region to offer these students a place to continue their education. But this is little consolation for the 48 foreign students who wanted an Australian degree and Singapore cost of living. "The school is offering us to go back to Australia to study, but I cannot go back. I end up paying something like $30,000 and I can do nothing. I've spent the money and yah, it's pretty hard for me now," said a student from Hong Kong. "I hope not to go back to Indonesia. I'm seeking to go overseas because it's a better education but now this happens, it's a bit confusing for me," said a student from Indonesia. "Before this, I was in Los Angeles. I was going to go to UNSW in Sydney but I ended up coming here because Singapore is also a good place. It's a good name, it's a good school, so I thought I'll give this a try, moved everything from LA, came here....I don't know what I'm going to do right now," said a student from the US. - CNA/ir

Article 4 : Teenager Issues

Parents, beware the emo kids

Article: The Straits Times 19/3/07

In this newspaper article, the latest teen fad of being “emo” is highlighted. “Emo”, short for emotional, is an angst-filled culture of youths which is characterized by them wearing dark and undersized attire with sneakers. Such teens are full of emotion and often negativity about life and some of them even cut themselves. It is a growing concern as incidences of teens causing self hurt is increasing.

In my opinion, this new fad is detrimental to youths and brings out a key problem in society and its negative influences. The first influence would definitely be peer influence. There is a report stating that a group of girls gathered together and cut themselves. Many teens these days are under peer pressure, and they succumb too easily to following friends so that they will not be left out. The second would be that of the media. Many teens have cut themselves after listening to music of bands that endorse the “emo” culture, and have been influenced by their music idols to be “emo”. These musicians who sport gangly tattoos and ear rings promote the idea of rejection and torment, resulting in teens blindly following. Parents of such teens have to take the responsibility of cultivating strong values in their children, and have to take action if their children are listening to bad music or going out with bad friends. Freedom does not mean free will, and parents ultimately have to guide their child in the right path.

However, there may be assumptions which I have overlooked. As I am not an “emo” teen, I do not understand their troubles. Some teens may come from broken families, or are simply facing a lot of stress in school. Putting myself in their shoes, maybe some teens really need help. They may be outcasts and seek solace only in cutting themselves. I feel that the passage has also made a major assumption in defining the dressing of “emo” teens and their behaviour. It might only be a minority and such facts are exaggerated. “Emo” may just be another fad in which people are taking too seriously.

In fact, an interesting way to look at this is that “emo” may not be a hurtful culture but instead a new sense of fashion. To me, a fashion is perfectly alright as that is how teens identify with each other and establish a unique persona for themselves. Looking “emo” can just be putting on an act as part of looking cool.

In conclusion, I feel the “emo” culture is acceptable as it just another culture to follow. However, I strongly believe that one should not go too far and inflict pain on oneself. If such acts take place, parents should be aware and send them for counseling. Teens themselves also have to make sure they do not blindly follow the wrong influences. As long as this culture stays as a fad and not a path which is detrimental to oneself, it is cool and fine with me.

(499 words)

Article

In following angsty fad, teens cut themselves and write about suicide
BY SANDRA DAVIE
EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT

IF YOU have teenage kids and have not heard of the latest teen fad “emo”, itis time you looked it up. Shops catering to teens say this angst-filled youth sub-culture, called emo, short for “emotional”, has been gathering a following here. It has also left youth counsellors worried if the fad is behind the increasing incidence of teenagers cutting their wrists. Emo fashion is characterised by teens wearing dark T-shirts, a little undersized or deliberately worn down to look old. Their choice of sneakers is Converse canvas shoes. Look closer and these might have words like “pain’’ scribbled in red ink or a drawing of a broken heart. But the defining trademark for emo kids has to be the heavily lined eyes and long fringed hair which covers half their face. The point of that, said emo teen Mervyn Lee, 17, a polytechnic student, is because “we are tortured souls unable to face the world”.
Another tell-tale sign – they listen to angst-filled music from bands like Hawthorne Heights, Aiden, The Used, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, which performed here earlier this month. Youth counsellors interviewed say they are worried that the fad, carried to extremes, can lead to self- mutilation or even suicidal thoughts. As it is, some emo teens have penned poems about suicide and death and slashing
their wrists to “ease their pain’’. The trend may be behind the increased incidence of teenagers injuring themselves.
There have been no studies done on how prevalent self-injury is, but five youth counsellors interviewed said they have seen an alarming increase in their young charges cutting themselves. Anecdotally, it seems more common among girls, and they are getting younger. Just last month, The Straits Times reported that a group of 12-year-olds in an
all-girls primary school made a collective pact and slashed their arms with penknives. The incident came to light after teachers discovered the scars the next morning. The girls were counselled and are being monitored. Said Dr Carol Balhetchet, Singapore Children’s Society director of youth services: “It is okay for kids to follow a fashion. That is very normal. What is worrying is if they start blindly following the other things like cutting themselves and writing poems glorifying their suicide attempts.’’ Eight of 12 teens The Straits Times spoke to, who follow emo fashion, admitted as much.
One, an 18-year-old girl from a junior college, said she started cutting herself out of curiosity after listening to songs by an emo rock band. She said she now does it weekly, but hides the scars from her doctor father and accountant mum. Another emo teen, an 18-year-old polytechnic boy, said it is part of the fashion. “It’s a form of expression, just like the poems I write. I will go mad if I can’t, don’t have these forms of release,’’ he said.
What is surprising is that most of these angst-filled teens come from stable homes, where their parents are professionals.
When pressed, they admitted there were no issues that were really depressing. Parents seem clueless. One, Mrs Daisy Lim, 48, a businesswoman, said she had heard her daughter using the word “emo” but never realised it was a teen fad.
Her 16-year-old daughter wears under-sized, worn-out tees over tight black
jeans. On weekends, the Secondary 4 girl also wears two lip rings and six
earrings on one ear alone.
Mrs Lim recently discovered that her daughter cuts her wrists with a razor. She
is trying to get her to seek help.
But counsellors say parents should not overreact.
Said Dr Balhetchet: “They should talk to the kids to find out the extent of it.

“If the child has taken the fad to the extent of harming himself, they should
not panic and scream at the child. They should be open to listening him out.
“Then they will find it easier to persuade him to seek counselling help.’’
sandra@sph.com.sg

Article 3: Education

Students to be offered more language options

Article : Business Times 08/03/07 Page 12

In an article on the 8th of March in the Straits Times, the Ministry of Education has set out plans to include more languages such as Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia in the 3rd language curriculum in a bid to broaden language diversity in students. By offering more languages, Singapore will hopefully build on its key strength in language and culture.

In doing this, it shows that the government is aware that many business opportunities arise from countries all over the world, and knowledge of the language of other countries is crucial to effective communication between parties. MM Lee has often talked about Singapore having to capitalize on our strengths as we have limited natural resources. Hence, language diversity will definitely aid in making Singapore an approachable and marketable country.

Not only this, such a move will enhance the reputation of our education system. Scholars from all over the world come to Singapore to pursue education. From a student’s point of view, I would feel that Singapore’s education system is holistic and all rounded, and provides equal opportunities for all. If I was an Arabic scholar, I would be extremely happy as I could pursue a good education while at the same time, learn my own native tongue! However, from an outsider’s point of view, such education might seem to me as having breath but not depth. However, the strength of such a move by the MOE is that the new languages are electives. People can choose if they want to take the subject, and hence it is a win-win situation for all.

However, there can be cause for objection. My understanding is limited as the views of students shape my opinion. To a student, learning extra languages would be fun, but to another ordinary person, they might wonder. Is that what they lack for success in the working world? There is a possibility that the government is going in the wrong direction, for English is more often than not used by many countries including Arab. It is somewhat ironical as such countries are turning towards proficiency in English while Singapore is trying to diversify language. If I approach this from such a perspective, then Singapore should be working more on developing the public relation skills of our students. Students should be engaged in oral speaking classes and beefing up their presentation skills. This is because in the working world, first impressions last, and Singaporeans have to give others a good impression to project ourselves on the world stage.

In conclusion, I welcome the move by the government to diversity language in schools. The prospects of our future look bright. In the future, Singapore would be a multicultural IT hub, and it may be possible that important ties will be established with many countries, boosting Singapore’s reputation. What is crucial now, is to make sure Singaporeans strike a good impression in people overseas, and establish ties which will hopefully benefit our country greatly for the foreseeable future.

Article

YESTERDAY IN PARLIAMENT

ENGLISH and Mandarin, plus Malay and Tamil, might no longer be enough. To helpstudents prepare for a global future and take advantage of opportunities beyondSingapore, the Ministry of Education intends to take steps to boost the country's key strength of cultural and language diversity. The Ministry of Education will broaden student access to conversational Chinese and Malay enrichment programmes and offer Bahasa Indonesia and Arabic as third languages at the MOE Language Centre. Announcing this yesterday in Parliament, Education Minister TharmanShanmugaratnam outlined the key skills and traits that young people inSingapore would have to develop in order to prepare for a globalised future. 'We know that we have to work smarter - rather than work cheaper - in order to thrive amidst the competition with China and India, and before too long with new players like Vietnam,' he said. This means preparing the young to think for themselves, to work in teams, tobe able to communicate clearly and being totally comfortable with IT - keyskills for the future, in any industry and at every level of an organisation,Mr Tharman said. Besides providing students with more opportunities for stints abroad to helpdevelop a global outlook, the government also intends to build up Singapore'slanguage advantage. It will do this by improving the effectiveness of bilingual languagelearning, introducing more third language options and giving more students thechance to learn languages other than their own mother tongue at aconversational level. In line with these moves, the MOE is adding BahasaIndonesia and Arabic to the existing third languages at its language centrefrom 2008. 'Having a pool of young Singaporeans who are well versed in the culture andlanguages of the region is crucial for our long term engagement with ourclosest neighbours,' Mr Tharman said. On the introduction of Arabic, he pointed out that the Middle East is a fastgrowing region, with opportunities for Singaporeans. The government will also do more to promote conversational Chinese and Malayas enrichment programmes for students who are not native speakers of theselanguages. It was also announced in Parliament yesterday that the MOE is exploring thefeasibility of introducing a licensing system to ensure that private schoolsmeet certain standards of academic rigour, financial stability and studentwelfare, before they are allowed to operate. Minister of State for Education Gan Kim Yong, responding to questions fromMPs on private education in Singapore, noted that the number of private schoolshad grown from 267 in 1996 to 1,125 last year. The country has also acquired a strong global reputation in education due tothe quality of its education programmes in publicly-funded schools and tertiaryinstitutions. 'It is important for us to preserve the reputation of our education system,'Mr Gan said. 'Therefore, there is a need to enhance the regulatory frameworkfor the private education organisations to assure quality in this fast-growingsector.' He added that the MOE was also looking into an accreditation system torecognise high-quality private education providers and to help students toselect the most suitable school. 'MOE will consult with industry to work out the regulatory framework, tosupport Singapore's development as a quality education hub,' he said, althoughhe did not give a timeline for when such a framework could be in place.

Article 2 : Political/Social

GST hike needed for growth: ministers


Article:
Adapted from Straits Times, February 5
http://enewslink.asia1.com.sg/brsweb/read_4.brsw?this=result&QDT=1&QFLST=HD%3AHG%3APD&DB=ST%3ABT%4006-07&QSTR=%28%28GST%29%29.HD.&DTSTR=%28%28PD+%3E=+20060912%29+and+%28PD+%3C=+20070212%29%29&PSZ=10&MAXL=200&SUMY=2&HLT=0&LSTN=0&ID=000005773@ST07



As Singapore continues to develop as a nation, the government has announced that the GST will be raised from 5% to 7% with effect from February 15. The increased GST, or the government service tax, will go towards building up Singapore’s resources and improve the standard of living here.

After reading the article, I think that this increase will go a long way in developing Singapore. Minister of national development Mah Bow Tan has said that it will boost education, health care and infrastructure. All these will benefit Singapore greatly as we go into a new modern age. Education for one is extremely important, as it churns out top scholars who will be the leaders of Singapore as well as educate the low-wage minority so that they can step into better paying jobs. Singapore also has an ageing population, and the increased amount of GST which totals to about $1.5 billion will do a lot for healthcare and medical aspects. Pertaining to infrastructure, the funds will go out to build new facilities and roads. Most important is the circle line, which will maximize convenience in transportation from one place to another. With the circle line, Singaporeans will benefit greatly and our country would be very accessible. Another development project of great importance is the Integrated Resorts in Marina Bay and Sentosa. With the increased funds, the IRs can be build quicker. Tourism in Singapore will also be boosted as more tourists will come in to visit the IRs or the casino. From the government’s perspective, it will be beneficial, as in the long term, the change will work for the better for Singapore, propelling the nation to become more competitive and a bigger player in the world market. progress as a nation.


GST: the key to a better Singapore?
However, looking at another perspective, the income gap of Singapore is also getting wider. With the increased GST, low-wage workers might suffer instead. Although the government has promised rebates for those who suffer from the change, it might not be sufficient to ensure that the low-wage workers progress in social status instead of slipping further down in the social ladder due to the lack of money. I feel that this situation is rather precarious, as the lower-income groups will either improve or just break down. In the end, the irony might be that they suffer instead when the government planned for them to improve.


In conclusion, I feel that in order for this to work out, Singaporeans have to cooperate with the government and trust that they are bringing Singapore forward. Frankly, no one likes the idea of having to pay more service tax when earning money is already so tough. However, think of the circle line, the integrated resorts, and a modern cosmopolitan Singapore, and you will agree with me. Even though it might be a struggle for the lower-income group to cope, as a nation, we should go through this together as one people, one nation, and look forward to greater benefits in the future.


Article:

Pub Date: 05/02/2007 Pub: ST Page: H6

Day: MondayEdition: FIRST

Headline: GST hike needed for growth: ministers

By: KRIST BOO

Page Heading: HOME Source: SPH

Mah Bow Tan to give details next week on how it will help build S’pore’sinfrastructure

NATIONAL Development Minister Mah Bow Tan intends to sketch out next week howpart of the revenue from the impending goods and services tax (GST) hike willgo towards building Singapore’s new roads, bridges and other keyinfrastructure.Speaking to reporters before entering a closed-door GST dialogue withgrassroots leaders yesterday, Mr Mah reiterated the Government’s stand that the2 percentage point tax hike will also boost education, health care andinfrastructure, besides being used to give low-wage workers a leg up.On his next week’s announcement, he said: “I am going to talk about some of thethings we need to do in order to put Singapore in a position to capitalise onthe opportunities in the future.”The 5 per cent tax is scheduled to be raised to 7 per cent after Feb15, whenthe Finance Ministry unveils the new national Budget.Mr Mah was not the only minister out on the ground to drive home the “GST hikefor future growth” message.At another community event, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean told reporters thatSingaporeans should not think of the tax as “just a (fund) transfer exercise”.It is an opportunity to move Singapore into a more competitive spot.The extra GST revenue will add $1.5 billion to Singapore’s coffers annually.Part of that would fund, for example, education, health care, transportationand a more attractive business tax structure designed to lure investments.Mr Teo said: “It’s not just a matter of transfers, but how to grow the pie, sothat we can be more prosperous.”Both ministers stressed that the Government will cushion the impact of theincrease.Rebates and reliefs will be handed out to lessen the hike pain on the lower andmiddle income groups.With the income gap widening in Singapore, there is “a greater sense ofanxiety” among the low-salaried in this round of GST hike compared to the lastone – a staggered increase – in 2003, Mr Mah conceded.The Government’s plan is that through education, children of low-income workerswould later go on to higher-salaried jobs.Through job re-training, low-wage workers would step into better payingpositions.“All these things require resources,” he pointed out.Closing the doors to low-wage foreign workers, or imposing a minimum wage,would not work, and the Government has explained why, he said.Some of the GST revenue will be channelled into health care, a pressing issuewith Singapore’s ageing population.As of now, many Singaporeans do not have enough funds in their public healthinsurance account, Medisave.The Government wants to “incentivise” this group, some of them self-employed,to top up their accounts, he said.There have been calls to keep basic necessities exempted from the hike, butthat would not be feasible.Mr Mah said: “The moment you exempt something from the hike, you have a hardtime trying to draw the line.”Instead of exempting the less well-off from spending more, the answer is to“supplement their income”, he said.

krist@sph.com.sg

ADDITIONAL REPORTINGBY CHUA HIAN HOU

daniel's everyday quiz

lol guys.

mr abel daniel just came up with another post while he had nothing to do at all. He says if i copy this quiz he made here he will send it to turn it in or turn in on . lol turn on. daniel wait one million years he cant get turned on. its something called daniel.

anyway check out the quiz at www.cannotcatchup.blogspot.com

option 2 is the best to choose. ull see why at the end

please go. but visit my blog first

wad the fruitty nutella!

(Below is a passage of perfect english. for this is for english assignment)

Hey everyone,

monday to thursday was as usual. i got a few things to say though. Firstly, guitar practice. the whiteboard had these few phrases : ' This will be past perfect tense. This has been future tense.' and ' my! punc.tua;tion is very. good'

Crap stuff this really is, all because of the ever lame Jon Ho, Zi xiang and victor.

Wednesday was time for training the sec 2s. i really for the first time can emphatize with teachers. I Used not to be happy with them because they got angry easily. but my goodness, i ended the day with migraine headache and a sorethroat. sec 2s are a noisy bunch and i had to shout so many times. So much for being in the position of a teacher.

today we had biology test. Turned out much easier than i expected. Mrs Lau expects a lot from our class and well all her stuff are extremely profound. i don't understand for nuts. At least i think i did well for this test.

Tomorrow 'ANY PROBlems' . mr ng returns . WOOHOO.
i finished my first article on environmental issues. i hope i can get this english thing over quickly so that i can write in not so perfect english.

cheerios

(p.s check out siyuan's blog. its in my links. cool vid. yeos u owe me one. everyone must tag me first lol)