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Overall food index up 4.3% over that in 2006

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clipped by choongyong.koh Nov 28, 2007

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Nov 27, 2007
Overall food index up 4.3% over that in 2006
MR RICHARD Seah's letter on the inflation rate of food prices ('5% inflation next year? Food already up 10- 20%'; ST, Nov 20) gives us the opportunity to explain how the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is constructed and how food prices are measured. The CPI measures the change in price over time of a fixed basket of goods and services that are consumed by households. In Singapore, the CPI basket comprises seven main groups, namely, Food, Housing, Clothing & Footwear, Transport & Communication, Education & Stationery, Health Care, and Recreation & Others. The relative importance of these groups in the CPI basket is based on a detailed analysis of the consumption patterns of some 5,400 households covered in the Household Expenditure Survey (HES). The HES is conducted on a regular basis to take into account changes in consumption patterns over time. This basic methodology is in line with international convention. Food has the highest weight in our CPI basket, at 23 per cent. This means that, on average, a household spends 23 cents out of every dollar on food. Cooked food carries a heavier weight of 13 per cent, compared to 10 per cent for non-cooked food, given the 'Singaporean habit of eating out', as noted by Mr Seah. It is important to note that the increase in the overall food price index in the CPI represents the average of price movements across various food items and outlets. So while prices of some food items have increased by as much as 10 to 20 per cent at some outlets, there are also items or outlets where prices increased by much less or not at all. For example, while the price of fresh chicken was 14 per cent higher in October 2007, compared to October 2006, the price of fresh pork went up by just 0.8 per cent during the same period. Likewise, while prices at some hawker stalls had increased substantially, average hawker food prices were up by 2.8 per cent in October 2007, compared to October 2006. Taking into consideration the price movements of all these various items, the overall food index increased by 4.3 per cent in October 2007, compared to a year earlier. Foo-Wu Wen Chee (Mrs) Deputy Director (Consumer Price Index) Department of Statistics

MPs should tell it like it is when writing memoirs

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clipped by choongyong.koh Jul 18, 2007

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Notes by choongyong.koh: MM Lee on memoirs

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July 17, 2007

MPs should tell it like it is when writing memoirs

I READ ST, July 11th 2007, the views of Dr Chiang Hai Ding and former PAP MPs on their writing of their memoirs.

They would refresh their memories if they read up old written materials, speeches, press cuttings, notes, letters and photos. It is worth the effort.

MPs are important actors in determining Singapore's history. I encourage all MPs, including those who opposed the PAP, to give their accounts of the past.

They will give a multi-dimensional view of past events and provide richness and texture to the story.

World War II accounts, whether in books, on TV or on film, that draw on sources from all parties, the Allies, Germans, Russians and Japanese, make fascinating reading because they give a three-dimensional depth to past events.

When writing memoirs, you are talking to posterity. Among them will be historians who will check what you write against the accounts of others. So do not shade the past.

I read Chin Peng's memoirs in English and the Plen's (Fang Chuang Pi) unfinished memoirs in Chinese.

I respected Chin Peng, so I asked to see him when he was in Singapore.

However, the Plen was a disappointment. He avoided the facts. Chin Peng did not.

Lee Kuan Yew

Minister Mentor

Power supply restored after blackout, Senoko Power could face fines

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clipped by choongyong.koh Dec 21, 2006

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State-funded pension means higher taxes

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clipped by choongyong.koh Sep 28, 2006

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Sep 28, 2006

State-funded pension means higher taxes

PLEASE refer to the letter 'Retiree backs call for pension for elderly' (ST, Sept 25) by Mr Retnam Thillainathan, and 'Give elderly a pension, says ex-NMP' (ST, Sept 21), by Dr Kanwaljit Soin, who proposed a state-funded pension scheme for the elderly.

A state-funded pension system will require raising taxes for younger working adults and the public to pay for the pensions of retirees.

Taxing the young to pay for the old will become unsustainable with our low birth rates and ageing population.

Presently, one in 12 Singaporeans is over 65 years but this will increase to one in five by the year 2030.

Our CPF system is more robust and sustainable because it requires each generation to fully fund its own retirement needs. It is also fair because each person draws out what he has contributed over his working life.

To assist older Singaporeans to improve their retirement adequacy, the Government periodically tops up their CPF accounts, whenever the economy does well. Since 1996, we have given out $4.7 billion in CPF top-ups.

In addition, the Government also encourages families to look after their older members. Through the Maintenance of Parents Act, we ensure that children honour their responsibility to take care of their parents.

For those in need, various public assistance schemes and Medifund also provide financial assistance.

Jean Tan (Ms)
Press Secretary to Minister for Manpower

Liquefied natural gas is at best an interim measure

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clipped by choongyong.koh Sep 06, 2006

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Sep 6, 2006

Liquefied natural gas is at best an interim measure

I REFER to Ms Choo Wai Chan's letter, 'Alternative fuels won't fully replace fossil ones' (ST, Sept 1). Complementing PNG (piped natural gas) with LNG (liquefied natural gas) is not that much of a diversification. It is the path of least resistance since the existing power plants do not need to be replaced.

It is not a diversification because it is the same fossil fuel, just more expensive, due to the need to freeze it before shipping it and also having to re-gasify it before it can be used. The cost of the LNG infrastructure - terminal and tankers - is in the billion-dollar range, and guess who foots the bill eventually? Besides, we still have to contend with resource depletion. With LNG, we may 'run away' from local resource depletion in Malaysia and Indonesia but nobody can run away from global depletion. The gamble the Government is taking is that global depletion arrives later than local depletion. As for global depletion, the figure of 40 years of reserves left is often quoted but that is misleading. It implies that problems will only occur in the far future but that may not be true. The problem is not running out, the problem is hitting the halfway point, known as Peak Oil (and Peak Gas), where global production starts to decline and can no longer keep up with demand, causing prices to rise dramatically. According to geologist Dr Colin Campbell of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, the peak date is due to arrive by 2010. That is two years before Singapore's LNG terminal is even scheduled to start operations.

The Singapore Government deserves credit for pushing ahead with the LNG initiative, though it is hardly an original idea - many countries are also setting up LNG terminals. America is planning 40 terminals. Even Mexico, home to the world's second largest oilfield, has started importing LNG. This tells us something about the sheer level of demand that will be coming up for LNG in the coming years. Singapore is joining a race that has already started.

LNG will be traded just like crude oil is today. Qatar is setting up an energy trading exchange. The natural gas will, quite naturally, go to the highest bidders. What is quite certain is, at the end point, it is not going to get any cheaper. There is nothing cheap about LNG. It is at best an interim measure while society considers other solutions. Although the other alternatives for base-load electrical power - nuclear, coal, geothermal, ocean tidal and thermal - are fraught with all kinds of environmental, political and technical risks, they need to be considered well before the global peak date arrives. While making preparations for the LNG terminal, the Government should also take a close look into alternative energy sources - while there is still time.

Low Ee Mien

Oldest sewers to get free PUB checks for leaks at year end

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clipped by choongyong.koh Sep 05, 2006

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Oldest sewers to get free PUB checks for leaks at year end

If there's leakage, homes and businesses will get help with repair bill

By Meng Yew Choong
Aug 29, 2006
The Straits Times

A FEW hundred kilometres of the oldest sewers running from homes and businesses into the national sewage network will get a free check for leaks at the end of this year.

These waste pipes, some nearing 50 years old, run under the oldest parts of Singapore - around the Singapore River, Kallang River, Geylang River and the Rochor and Stamford canals.

If leaks are found, these homes and businesses will get some help from the Public Utilities Board (PUB) with the repair bill.

The inspection is aimed at identifying sewers that might be leaking their contents into land within the 100-sq-km Marina catchment.

Unlike Singapore's other water catchment areas in the suburbs, the Marina catchment and the Marina Reservoir will be sited in a highly urbanised area.

If sewage does not stay within the pipe network, it will contaminate the water in the new reservoir, which will be operational in 2008. Dangerous microbes aside, sewage also contains unwanted chemicals that will make the water more difficult - and costlier - to treat.

Because such sewer checks for private homes and businesses have not been done before, the PUB will run a public education programme to prepare affected residents and businesses for the exercise. Mailers will be sent out and dialogues with grassroots leaders will begin next month.

If leaks are found in the sewers, the PUB will help owners with part of the repair cost.

Fixing a leak could cost $200, but the final bill will depend on the amount of work needed, said Mr Tan Yok Gin, PUB's director for policy and planning.

A typical inspection will take an hour. PUB inspectors will insert a tiny video camera into the sewer, so no hacking or digging will be necessary.

The PUB assures home and business owners that they can carry on their activities uninterrupted.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim, who was at the completion ceremony of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System pumping station at Changi East yesterday, noted that the Government has put about $270 million into repairing 790km of public sewers over the last 10 years.

Another $153 million has been set aside for checks on 300km of public sewer pipes in the Marina catchment in the coming years, he said.

Private sewers account for half of the total sewage network measuring 3,400km.

mengyc@sph.com.sg

In S'pore's countryside, a buzz is brewing

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clipped by choongyong.koh Sep 05, 2006

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The Straits Times 25 Aug 06
In S'pore's countryside, a buzz is brewing
by Tan Hui Yee

LAWYER Kertar Singh has defended white collar criminals, a rapist and drug offenders in court, but could face his biggest challenge yet later this year in a showdown of a different sort.

He could he squaring off with would-be entrepreneurs over new parcels of Kranji farmland to be up for tender soon. The three plots, ranging from 1.2ha to 5ha each, will be the first released by the Government since it relaxed guidelines, allowing farms to develop recreational and commercial facilities.

It has been three years since the Government made new farmland available. Within limits, the eventual owners of the three plots can combine farming with farmstays, spas, art studios and even corporate retreats, said the Singapore Land Authority. Bidders can submit other ideas too.

This promises to generate more buzz in the Kranji area, which increased in popularity as a leisure spot after a group of farmers there banded together last year to promote it.

Mr Singh, 58, is all enthused and has his eye on one of the plots. He wants to set up a farmhouse with goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks, and wants children to visit and become acquainted with nature. It may have an eatery too, serving organic produce for the health-conscious. He has gathered four like-minded friends to join him in the project.

'We were kampung boys. We want to go back to kampung life,' said the former policeman, who grew up in Kampung Soopoo in the Kallang area. He got the idea to start a farm while on a family trip to India about 20 years ago, when he observed his only son's excitement at seeing a hen laying eggs. 'I thought, hey, our children are not so close to nature. They don't know how eggs hatch,' he said.

Before his farm dream comes true, however, Mr Singh and his partners will have to fend off competition. A handful of non-farmers also want to run farming-cum-recreational outfits in this rustic north-western corner of Singapore.

They include businessman Jack Chin, 39, who owns several food outlets and is keen to start an Australian-style eatery set in farm surroundings.

Another, Mr K.C. Tan, 33, is a manager in an engineering firm and wants to expand his arowana-breeding sideline. Mr Tan, who used to live on a pig farm in Lim Chu Kang, wants to breed lobsters and, maybe, have a seafood restaurant too. They were partly inspired by recent developments in this 860ha area, which is home to 114 farms.

In January last year, the Government relaxed guidelines, allowing farms to provide guest accommodation, visitor centres, cafes and retail outlets. At about the same time, nine farms and a pottery were registered as the Kranji Countryside Association.

Its high-profile carnivals during the Chinese New Year and Christmas periods attracted thousands of visitors, many of whom were unaware that Singapore had countryside.

The association, which added two more members recently, worked at making the countryside more accessible to those without cars. It lobbied bus operator SMRT Corporation to extended its bus service 925 to include some farm stops. The service, which previously ran past the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Sundays and public holidays, began stopping at farms from the middle of last year.

Still, visiting the farms on weekdays remained tough. So the farmers pitched in to start an hourly bus service from Kranji MRT Station to nine farms in the area. The Kranji Express charges adults $2 for a round-trip.

So far, those who venture to the area are mostly retirees, families and the occasional tourist. Schools and government agencies also organise trips there.

Soon, the Land Transport Authority says, direction signs to the Kranji Countryside will be put up along major roads near the area. 'Kranji Countryside' will also appear as a place name in street directories.

For farmer Kenny Eng, 32, secretary of the association, it has been a long journey. His family-run landscaping company, the Nyee Phoe Group, set up a bistro this year, the second one in the area after organic farm Bollywood Veggies started its outlet, Poison Ivy. Nyee Phoe has also laid the groundwork for the area's first kampung-style chalets, expected to be up by next year.

The three new farmland plots could add competition, but Mr Eng says the fact that the authorities are allowing them for farming and recreational facilities proves the enormous potential in Singapore's countryside.

'We've done quite a fair bit to convince people to come here, to show them that it's not a scary place. The dream is becoming a reality,' he told The Straits Times.

But the farmers have to contend with Singaporeans who expect city amenities in the countryside, and complain when it is more rustic than they would like.

As bus driver Larry Lim - de facto guide to those who hop onto the Kranji Express - puts it: 'Some people come here and say there is nothing to see. They also don't like to wait around. But you are not supposed to rush through it.'

Visitors can learn about the life cycle of bullfrogs, watch goats being milked, pick up indoor landscaping items, and buy organic fruit and vegetables direct from the growers. Most of the farms are open from 9am to 5pm, and are busiest at the weekend.

Mr Eng hopes those who visit will buy farm produce, because the countryside needs their support. 'Come here to buy, come here to shop, and don't treat us like Bishan Park,' he said. 'Don't just come here, throw rubbish, use the toilet, and expect us to clean up after you.'

The growing interest in the countryside has even led people like Ms Karen Goh, 27, to do a stint working on a farm. 'I thought it would be nice to work in a different place, and it's rare to get this opportunity in Singapore,' said the former teacher, who spent a week toiling at Bollywood Veggies, which is run by former chief of Netball Singapore, Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim.

'I've seen dragonflies, which I haven't seen for a long time. And the different kinds of vegetables... I didn't know they came from plants which look like that.'

Getting there: Visit www.kranjicountryside.com for more details of bus schedule and opening hours of individual farms.

Indonesian V-P Confident Problems Of SEZs Can Be Overcome

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clipped by choongyong.koh Sep 05, 2006

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Straits Times (26 August 2006) - Indonesian V-P Confident Problems Of SEZs Can Be Overcome

Aug 26, 2006
Indonesian V-P Confident Problems Of SEZs Can Be Overcome
Jusuf Kalla pledges to clear roadblocks standing in the way of Batam's growth
By Indonesia Correspondent, Salim Osman
Straits Times

JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has expressed confidence that the problems dogging the Riau Islands Special Economic Zones (SEZs) can be overcome.

Mr Jusuf was speaking on Thursday after a trip to Batam, an island in the Riau archipelago, and a meeting with Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at the Hang Nadim airport.

He acknowledged that investors had left the island lately because of management problems and pledged to clear all the roadblocks that stood in the way of the island's growth.

'I am optimistic that it can be revived,' he added.

Mr Lee had said that he believed the trend could be reversed in three years if all were determined to fix problems such as corruption and bureaucratic delays.

The resolve to overcome the SEZ problems received wide publicity in the Indonesian media yesterday.

A Media Indonesia report had the headline: 'Kalla-Lee agree on boosting investment climate in Batam'.

It carried a photograph of Mr Lee and Mr Jusuf on its front page and the report included Mr Lee's remarks on some of the problems related to immigration, tax, and customs and excise duties.

Mr Lee was quoted as saying that Indonesia was a large country and faced a range of problems that had hindered the growth of Batam.

It added that he had urged all sides to cooperate to solve the problems in Batam.

News of the meeting was also carried by Kompas, which reported Mr Lee as saying that Batam was not progressing as rapidly as in the days when it was developed jointly by the Singapore Government and the Suharto administration.

'Today, there are so many problems that hinder its growth as a Special Economic Zone. Because of this, more needs to be done to spur growth,' Mr Lee was quoted as saying.

Both newspapers also said Mr Kalla agreed with Mr Lee on the problems faced by Batam and the need to rejuvenate SEZs.

Evening newspaper Suara Pembaruan carried a short report on the meeting, quoting the Minister Mentor as saying that the problems faced by Batam had been discussed.

Media Indonesia's online edition carried remarks posted by readers, many of them positive, on the involvement of Singapore in the project to develop Batam as an SEZ.

For instance, a posting by Dodo urged readers to rid themselves of prejudices against Singapore. The writer said forging close ties with Singapore would help Indonesia make its way up the ladder to achieve the status of becoming a developed country.

Singapore and Indonesia inked a new economic agreement in June to revitalise the Riau islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

Under the pact, the two nations will set up SEZs to draw more investment and boost economic growth in the area.

It could see a smoother flow of goods between Singapore and the Riau islands, and make it easier for businessmen to invest by simplifying procedures for work permits and visas.

There will also be an investment service authority to help businessmen deal with licences and documentation.

The seven areas targeted to draw investors are investment, finance and banking, taxation, customs and excise, immigration, manpower and developing capability.

The two countries also hope the SEZs could be a model for similar projects to be started elsewhere in Indonesia.

Mr Lee said on Thursday that SEZs could be replicated across Indonesia.

Riau SEZs Have Problems, But They Can Be Solved: MM

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Straits Times (25 August 2006) - Riau SEZs Have Problems, But They Can Be Solved: MM

Aug 25, 2006
Riau SEZs Have Problems, But They Can Be Solved: MM
He is optimistic that with the right attention, zones can be a success
By Peh Shing Huei
Straits Times

BATAM - INVESTORS have been leaving Batam, but Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is optimistic that problems in the Riau Islands Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have a chance at being solved.

With the right attention, the zones can be a success. He gave this assessment after a half-day trip to Batam and a 'four-eye' meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla yesterday.

Mr Lee heard the problems first-hand when he toured the Batamindo Industrial Park, which is managed by SembCorp Park Holdings.

Among other things, unions have rocked industrial relations, pushing wages up by 29 per cent last year.

Corruption from officials is more prevalent and investors are also increasingly concerned about terrorist threats.

Mr James Kong, the chief executive officer of eye-care company CIBA Vision, a tenant at the park, recounted to Mr Lee one example of the problems the company faced: Tax officials pored over minute details and made things difficult to pressure managers into giving kickbacks.

All these difficulties combined to push the park's tenant numbers from a peak of 96 in 2001 to 83 today. The number of workers employed there has also shrunk as a result, from 85,000 to 65,000.

SembCorp Park Holdings executive chairman Low Sin Leng told Mr Lee that investors, especially the Japanese, were migrating to other countries, with Vietnam a popular destination.

But Mr Lee said he believed the trend could be reversed in three years if all onboard were determined to fix the problems.

After his meeting of more than an hour with Mr Jusuf yesterday, he expressed hope that Jakarta could solve the SEZs' woes.

'If he gives it attention, if he is hands on, I would say there's a chance that it could succeed,' said Mr Lee, referring to Mr Jusuf. 'But if it's just left to the bureaucracy, we may try our best, but it will be defeated by the system.'

He added that Mr Jusuf 'showed a certain willingness to spend time and effort to oversee the problems and get it right'.

The problems, he said, began when increased regionalisation in Indonesia saw governors and mayors asserting themselves, as they are now elected instead of being appointed by Jakarta.

He stressed that the problems could only be ironed out by the Indonesians. 'We will help them the best way we can, but some things on the ground we cannot fix, they have to fix it,' he said.

Referring to the pressures tenants faced from officials, such as harassment over tax and other paperwork, he said investors did not have to put up with that and could go elsewhere.

Singapore and Indonesia inked a new economic agreement in June to revitalise the Riau islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

Under the pact, the two nations will set up SEZs to draw more investment and boost economic growth in the area.

It could see a smoother flow of goods between Singapore and the Riau islands, and make it easier for businessmen to invest by simplifying procedures for work permits and visas.

There will also be an investment service authority to help businessmen deal with licences and documentation.

The seven areas targeted to draw investors are in investment, finance and banking, taxation, customs and excise, immigration, manpower and developing capability.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who witnessed the signing of the pact with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said at the time that he hoped the SEZs could refresh earlier efforts by Singapore and Jakarta to draw investment to the Riau province.

While these had created more than 200,000 jobs from 1990 to 2000, investment had tapered off in recent years, PM Lee had noted.

The two countries also hope the SEZs could be a model for similar projects to be started elsewhere in Indonesia.

Yesterday, as MM Lee emerged from his meeting with Mr Jusuf, he told the waiting media that the SEZs may be replicated across Indonesia.

He cited China's experience. 'Deng Xiaoping started the special economic zones along the coast, 12 of them, succeeded, expanded, duplicated and now almost the whole country is a special economic zone,' he said.

'All in the space of 30 years. So it can be done, if you decide to do it.'

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Choongyong.koh's clips tagged singapore

Overall food index up 4.3% over that in 2006

MPs should tell it like it is when writing memoirs

Power supply restored after blackout, Senoko Power could face fines

State-funded pension means higher taxes

Liquefied natural gas is at best an interim measure

Oldest sewers to get free PUB checks for leaks at year end

In S'pore's countryside, a buzz is brewing

Indonesian V-P Confident Problems Of SEZs Can Be Overcome

Riau SEZs Have Problems, But They Can Be Solved: MM