I refer to this article in AsiaOne: The report is correct about one thing: Singapore has been tightening restrictions, such as by increasing government levies and “minimum wages”. Except the Reuters reporter should define what he means by “minimum wage”. What we have in Singapore, is not the traditional blanket minimum […]
As Parliament takes a prorogue to take stock of how it has done mid-term, Five Stars and a Moon has a look at some of the major policy changes this country has undergone since the 2011 General Elections. Here are some changes that perhaps even you didn’t think would see the light of day: […]
Our earlier piece about Singapore healthcare talked about the robustness of the system based on the 3M model (MediSave, MediShield and MediFund); indeed it’s not a perfect system but when you compare Singapore’s healthcare with other similar systems, we’re actually doing alright. The good news is we might soon be seeing changes for the better! […]
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his traditional National Day message on 8 August from SAFRA Toa Payoh, where SAFRA built its very first clubhouse back in 1975. In his speech, he touched on our current economic growth, domestic measures, social and education policies, and the future of the nation as an inclusive society. As […]
A fellow university student from China once told me during our orientation at NTU that Chinese students perceived NTU to be a ‘dumping ground’ of sorts because Chinese nationals aspire to attend top varsities such as Zhejiang University and Peking University and only apply to NUS when they haven’t been accepted elsewhere. And if they […]
The Entrepreneurship Review Committee (EnRC) recently held a discussion on how hard it is to motivate Singaporeans into becoming entrepreneurs or working for start-up companies. The 30 entrepreneurs who took part in the session raised some very interesting concerns on nurturing an enterprising spirit. As Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Teo Ser Luck, […]
As a Singaporean working closely with foreigners, I’m starting to see Singapore from an outsider’s perspective and understanding why our little red dot appeals to them so much. To them, especially to our counterparts across the causeway, it’s amazing how much we’ve grown economically and established ourselves as a cosmopolitan world capital while making sure […]
Following the recent double murders in Kovan and the shocking arrest of a policeman, the anxiety level of Singaporeans about the homicide rate may have just gone up a notch, and to some extent there may also be concern about the quality of our police force. After all, Singapore is renowned for being one of […]
During a holiday in KL, an American friend of mine made a comment about a recruitment banner in KFC which advertised for job openings with the hourly pay starting from RM3.50. “It’s bizarre how they don’t have a minimum wage policy implemented”, he exclaimed. “How on earth do people get by?!” Let’s just say he’s […]
We’ve reached the halfway mark of 2013 and we thought it’d be interesting to look back at some of the key moments we’ve gone through as a nation. In a world of quick interconnectedness and short attention spans it’s important to take the time to assess some of the brightest, the most shocking, the saddest, […]