Opinions

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducted enforcement operations over this past weekend on errant users of personal mobility devices (PMDs).

According to a post on its Facebook page, on Saturday night alone, they found 16 offences.

Of this, 10 PMDs were impounded, includng six where they were found to have been used on the roads.

The LTA's enforcement actions are timely. The number of PMD users are growing.

Not all of these drivers are responsible, and can be a hazard on the road.

However this is not sufficient.

There must be more done to regulate these PMD users. One way to encourage more responsible use is for the riders to go through modules on safe use of the PMDs. Another way to regulate them is for mandatory licencing. 

The status quo cannot remain.

Facebook user, Sarah Leong, posted on an aged Trans-Cab taxi driver who was involved in traffic accident.

According to Sarah Leong, the taxi driver was earlier seen at a petrol station. The taxi driver had difficulty walking and needed the aid of a walking stick to walk gingerly to the taxi.

Sarah was concerned for the taxi driver and asked several pointed questions.

LTA, as well as taxi and PHV companies need to review their hiring process. It is important that everyone regardless of age, be allowed to drive to earn a living.

However, safety must not be compromised.

Besides the health check-ups, more can be done to ensure that drivers who have certain physical limitations face more thorough screening processes. 

This is not only to protect the companies and the public.

They need to be responsible for the safety of the drivers concerned as well.

A study led by A/P Ng Koe Hoe from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) sought to obtain an estimation on the minimum amount of money required by older people in order for them to achieve a basic standard of living here.

This budget is comprehensive and is meant to allow an elderly to achieve a comfortable quality of life. Apart from the usual necessities like food, accommodation and transport, it also covers additional luxuries such as holidays, gifts for social gatherings, and mobile phones.

With these considerations, the study found that for those age from 55 to 64, they require $1,720, while those aged above 65 requires less, at $1380.

How many of our elderly can enjoy such a lifestyle now, and in the future? 

Taking into account inflation, these monthly expected expenditure can amount to more in the future.

Even now, there are segments of our society, including those in their 30s, who do not have a net income of  $1,720. There are couples whose net income are below $1,720 because they are in part-time employment and have children to feed and send to school.

How can they save for now and for the future to ensure that they do not merely exist then, but have a certain standard of life?

The government must step in to ensure that they are not left behind.

One way they can do that is to enable CPF to be be more accessible to the owners.

There have been instances of reckless spending of the CPF money upon retirement, in the past. But not everyone is like that and the majority shouldn't have to suffer for the recklessness of a few.

Another way to help Singaporeans prepare for the old age is to have minimum wage across the lowest paying industries. Some sectors are doing this progressively but it is not adequate if you want lower-income Singaporeans to save for the future.

The start to a comfortable old age begins now and the government has the responsibility to ensure that no Singaporeans are fall through the social safety nets.

I wish to pen my thoughts after reading about the postman who was arrested for throwing away Ang Mo Kio residents' unopened letters. The 29-year-old is someone with special needs. He said that he was too tired at the time and had been treated unfairly. 

People are quick to blame SingPost for its lapses but there is a bigger underlying issue that they fail to question.

It is more important that SingPost reviews how it treats its staff instead of busying themselves with apologies. Apologising profusely will only appease the public temporarily but not solve long-term problems. It does not make anyone happier.

If SingPost treated its staff well, they may not have made repeated lapses within a few months. How tough must it have been for a postman to want to throw away not just letters, but his duty?

If the job is not easy for a normal person, how bad would it have been for someone with special needs? Does SingPost provide enough support to keep them happy? 

I'm not saying that SingPost should not hire people with special needs. No, it should continue to do so as everyone, special needs or not, deserves to earn a living.

What I'm saying is that SingPost needs to look into deep-seated issues e.g. failing to take care of its staff, and start making necessary changes to prevent long-term lapses. 

Saying sorry and moving on will not help. There are only so many apologies Singaporeans want to hear and soon, nobody will buy any of it. SingPost has to please its staff before jumping to please others. If not, it will be reputable for all the wrong reasons!

-Written by a concerned Sembawang resident

According to a recent report, businesses in the four terminals at Changi Airport are already feeling the heat with the competition from newly opened outlets at the new Jewel.

For some, the increased competition has translated into poorer businesses. Others benefited slightly at the from the spillover of customers at Jewel. However for them, their business has now waned. 

Some report more empty shops than they were used to although for the halal F&B establishments, this could also be partially attributed to Muslim customers fasting in Ramadan.

Unlike many airports around the world, Changi Airport has gained a reputation for being a destination in and of itself. Over the past decades, the various terminals have continuously reinvented their offering.

They need to continue to do the same even with the introduction of Jewel.

Many Singaporeans go to the terminals to get away from the crowds for their meals. They are not really interested in the shopping.

Instead of shopping, what they can offer are more spaces for families to relax and unwind or to carry out activities together. For the very young children, the playground areas available now are fairly limited. 

What they can is more space for such family and child-friendly actvities. 

They can also rent out co-working spaces to cater to the the newer connected crowd from both abroad and locally. In this way those coming here for a short-stopover or transit do not have to check into hotels or travel further to rest and then get their work done. They can do it at the airport.

With these crowd, there will naturally be spillover for the F&B estblishments there.

More discounts and free lunchtime parking would serve to entice more people these terminals.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recently arrested two Malaysians for working here illegally as food delivery riders, even though they entered Singapore on social visit passes (SVP).

According to a local, there are some 20 to 50 Malaysians working as food delivery riders. They usually work in the city area to avoid suspicion. 

This operation is reportedly led by a Malaysian man whose modus operandi was to approach local food delivery riders for their spare accounts. He will then use the accounts to carry out food delivery by himself, giving a 5 percent cut to the account owners.

Thereafter he would recruit Malaysian riders to carry out deliveries with those account. In return, he would allegedly get 30 percent of their daily takings, meaning that he can earn up to $300 a day.

According to MOM, all food delivery companies will be required to review and refine their processes to ensure that such illlegal use of accounts do not continue.

This enforcement action is timely. However, the mastermind remains at large and could continue carrying out hsi scheme in a different place.

Our local riders are trying to earn a decent living. Such illegal riders are essentially stealing from the rice bowls of our local riders. Our riders already have to contend with the high cost of living here while those illegal riders steal from their rice bowls and can enjoy their spoils in Malaysia.  This is unfair.