Opinions

It was 9am in the morning. I was on a crowded train on the way to work on the Circle Line. Everybody was minding their own business, some tried to get in a nap while commuting, everybody enjoyed the silence that comes with the dread of waking up early in the morning (I know it's not THAT early but I'm sure we all dread going to work or running errands in the morning). Nobody talked at all, no loud music from some random young punks low quality earpiece, no uncles/aunties watching Korean dramas with their phone's loudspeaker on.

In came an auntie on her phone.

She talked so loudly and so quickly in her mother tongue. She stood beside me and annoyed the hell out of me with the amount of noise she was making. However, my annoyance was short-lived. I started laughing at the reactions of other aunties who were seated around auntie on phone. The aunties literally stared at her, shook their heads and even tsked her but she paid no heed to the rest of them, obviously engrossed in her conversation. One auntie even took off her scarf in anger (she literally threw her scarf into her bag and slammed it shut) while staring at auntie on phone. Many also moved further into the carriage to get away from auntie on phone.

There was one point in time when her call got cut off due to the bad reception in our train tunnels. People actually smiled. But auntie on phone did not let that obstacle get to her. She dialed back and continued on with her conversation to the disapproval of other commuters. Luckily for me, the next stop was where I was going to get off. I could still see one of the aunties looking at me with anguish in her eyes.

Today's experience got me thinking, why can't we be more considerate towards other commuters? It got me thinking about the time when I was in Japan last year. Everybody on the train was silent or at the very least, whispering. It was pure bliss. Why can't we have that in Singapore? I'm sure it will make us happier while we commute.

Editors Note: How annoyed do you get when there are such noisy people around you when you commute? Let us know!

Finance Minister and the front runner for Singapore's next Prime Minister, Heng Swee Keat, announced in Parliament that the Government has yet to decide on when the GST hike of 7 to 9 percent will be introduced.

The time frame given for the proposed hike was between 2021 and 2025, but Heng acknowledged that there has been widespread reservations about the timing and approach the government had in raising the GST. Here's a hint. The GST hike will increase, and it will be done soon after the next GE when PAP returns back to power, and way before the next GE after this one, when voters voice don't matter. Tactics explained easily, right?

Heng also pointed out that the GST hike will be offset by the GST vouchers to be given to Singaporeans. Yes, that very same $300 vouchers, which they think can help Singaporeans. Let's put things in perspective. $300 vouchers, for one whole year of necessity spending. That's 365 days, with $300 voucher. Wow, not even 1 cent a day. That's how they say they are helping us.

Noor Azlin Abdul Rahman is a cancer patient. Her lung cancer is at Stage IV. Unfortunately, the cancer has spread to her brain.

She sued Changi General Hospital (CGH) for negligence but her claims were thrown out by the court.

She went to the Court of Appeal, which has now ruled in her favour. Noor Azlin is finally vindicated. 

This patient had gone to CGH on a few occasions over a few years since 2007 but her lung cancer was not detected or diagnosed earlier.

The attending respiratory specialist, Imran Mohamed Noor, had discharged her without scheduling a follow-up consultation. Recommendations by radiologist to follow-up with Noor Azlin also went unheeded. Even worse, there were no records of the doctors who made the decisions to not follow the recommendations from the radiologist.

CGH already has a problem with its reputation. Patients would rather travel further to SGH then be treated at CGH, for fear of the repercussions. 

Where is the accountability?

How can a doctor make a decision that may affect someone's life, without needing to sign off on that decision? This is a serious systemic lapse that CGH needs to address.

The MOH should also play a more proactive role to ensure that such systemic lapses are not allowed to happen. Inspectors must be on the ground periodically to understand the processes more intimately. 

There cannot be a repeat of poor Noor Azlin's case.

PAP must stop taking Singaporean for fools. During a parliamentary debate earlier yesterday, opposition MP Pritam Singh of WP pointed out that the Merdeka Generation Package (MGP) was timed to coincide with the elections.

Of course, the PAP refuted this. Senior Minister of State (SMS) for the Trade and Industry Ministry, Chee Hong Tat, refuted Pritam's claims, asserting that the MGP is not a pre-election sweetener.

PAP is going blind. It was already out of touch. Now, it is becoming blind. One only has to take a look back at our history over the past two decades to see similar instances of Singaporeans being inundated with "generous" packages from the government, in one form, or another.

If Chee is really true, then Lee Hsien Loong should not remain silent. Tell us when the elections will be held now. Then we can tell you if the MGP was deliberately times to coincide with the election.

What he would do is remain silent until the last possible moment, and then announce the election date. They always hope to catch the opposition unaware.

So when they eventually announce the elections, then they will say that it is just a mere coincidence.

Singaporeans are sick of the same old wayang. We may be kiasu, but we are not stupid, and we are not cheap.

The Merdeka Generation also cannot be bought.

So stop treating us for fools.

The writer, Faith, has no faith in the PAP.

In a celebration marking 40 years of the establishment of the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung spoke on how the program remains relevant in the context of a growing China. Such schools provided conducive environments for students to immerse themselves in Chinese-school environment.

Can we take the Minister's explanations at face value? 

Admittedly, China's influence is expanding and Singapore is facing serious competition from other countries to maintain its relationship and relevance to China. It is not merely a social exercise. There are economic and political elements to this relationship as well.

This, however, cannot come at a cost to our social fabric. We are consciously creating a group that are in-tuned with China, but have very little idea about the culture, traditions, and practices of their neighbours here in Singapore.

If we are really serious about creating an inclusive Singapore, why do such SAP schools exists? How many students from the minority races study in these SAP schools?

Such immersive programs must be open to Singaporean students of any race or religion, in any schools in Singapore, as long as they have an interest in the language and culture. By having the programs in all schools, students in the program are still exposed to people from other race, religious, or economic backgrounds. 

Through these programs, students in the same schools not in the program will have the opportunity to be exposed to the language and culture, unlike what is happening now.

For our own interests, it is imperative to continue to engage China. Nevertheless, the SAP school is not the answer to this.

The writer, Faith, doesn't feel special.

SingPost have come under the spotlight in recent weeks, after their postmen have been found negligent in delivering letters. The public are up in arms over non-delivered letters, letters delivered months after it was supposed to, letters in the trash and even postmen claiming work was done when it was not.

It seems SingPost can do nothing right at the moment. But a photo of a SingPost pstman having his lunch while perched on his bike have been doing the rounds, and it has evoked an outpouring of sympathy. The Facebook post by someone named Amirul Azam shows how much hard work a postman has to go through, how busy he is until he don't even have enough time to sit down and enjoy his lunch. The postman was seen eating while sitting on his postman motorbike, possibly rushing off to complete his job once his little lunch break was over. 

Makes you realise that being a postman is actually hard work.