Opinions

Singaporeans had an unexpected Boxing Day surprise when news broke that Leong Sze Hian was counter-suing Lee Hsien Loong for abuse of the process of the courts. 

This is surely a sign of a more sophisticated and emboldened opposition and civil society. In the context of Singapore. it is not often that a Prime Minister gets sued in the local court. For the lawsuit to be initiated by a member of the public is even more rare. 

It is even more rare for someone from the establishment to throw their weight and financial muscle behind the lawsuit. When that someone is the PM's own brother, you get a sense of the shift in the socio-political landscape in Singapore. 

For normal Singaporeans watching as the drama unfolds, this latest twist in the story would provide them more justification for them to lose their inhibitions and stand up for what they believe in. In the past, the previous generations were still either beholdened by the efforts of the PAP pioneers, or were unable to free their minds from the hegemonic influence of the PAP.

The PAP got away with it in the past because there was very little competition. They also did their part to provide the needs of Singaporeans. Now, Singaporeans and foreigners working here are lamenting the high cost of living and the stresses that comes with it. Something has to change.

This is a good political development for Singapore. If Lee Hsien Yang can stand up to his own brother for what he believes in, what excuse do you have?

The writer, Kelvin, is a fan of Lee Hsien Yang.

A tsunami at Indonesia's Sunda Strait, believed to be triggered by an underwater landslide, has caused the deaths of more than 280 people and the destruction of numerous public and private properties and amenities. President Halimah Yacob and PM Lee Hsien Loong have conveyed their condolences to Indonesia. In expressing Singapore's solidarity with the people of Indonesia, Lee also indicated that Singapore stands ready to offer any assistance should it be required by Indonesia.

At the time of writing, Indonesia has yet to ask for help from its neighbours. 

Here in Singapore, several NGOs/VWOs such as the Red Cross and Mercy Relief have begun providing immediate disaster recovery/humanitarian relief assistance to Indonesia. The Singapore Red Cross is providing $50,000 worth of assistance to fund the purchase of items such as blankets, sleeping mats, and water filtration systems. Mercy Relief is complementing this effort, and has launched a public fundraising appeal that will run until 25 January 2019. Donations can be made through these channels:

1) Credit Card donation via Mercy Relief’s website: www.mercyrelief.org 
2) Crossed cheque made out to “Mercy Relief Limited” with “Sunda Strait Tsunami Relief 2018” and email address written on the back of the cheque, and mailed to Blk 160, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, #01-1568, Singapore 310160
3) Cash donations at Blk 160, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, #01-1568, Singapore 310160
4) Fund transfer to Mercy Relief’s DBS Current Account 054-900741-2
5) Crowdfund via giving.sg for the “Sunda Strait Tsunami Relief 2018”: https://www.giving.sg/mercy-relief/sunda_strait_tsunami_relief

In the spirit of giving this Christmas, do your part for our friends in Indonesia.

For the governments of Singapore and Indonesia, now is nor the time to for political posturing. The welfare and the well-being of the people of the victims have to be prioritised, above all else. Where assistance is needed, do what we can to help our neighbours without being too calculative about it.

The writer, Faith, feels that every natural disaster is an opportunity to strengthen our bonds with our neighbours.

In a move towards becoming a smart nation, the Singapore government through the ICA have said that all passport and NRIC applications will have to be done online from 2020, with paper forms to be phased out by then.

Thos brings into sharp focus that the elderly who are not internet savvy will be forced to learn to use the online applications, as Singapore's move to a smart nation seem set to leave those not IT savvy far behind. To mitigate for this move, the ICA said that the elderly can get their family members to help with the online services. And for those poor Singaporeans who really have no easy access to an internet connection can use the self-service kiosks at ICA buildings. 

Smart nation building is steaming on, whether you are on board, or not.

A staff nurse at SGH accidentally administered anaesthetic which was 10 times the recommended dosage to an elderly female patient. The patient died two days later. According to the examining forensic pathologist, the cause of death was blood poisoning and multiple-organ failures attributed to end-stage renal failure. Although the mental state of the patient had deteriorated, she did not show any signs of seizures that typically arise from such overdoses. Based on expert reports, the Coroner ruled out the anaesthetic overdose as a possible cause of death.

The staff nurse claimed that she had erroneously entered the dosage as she was unfamiliar with the pump machine. Instead of keying in 4.17ml/hr, she keyed in 41.7 ml/hr. She was also confused over the formats that she could have selected. The pump provides users the ability to choose between dosage and rate options.

It was unfortunate that this happened. It was a mistake that could have been made by anyone in the hospital, from junior nurses to staff nurses to even doctors themselves. Nevertheless, this is a weakness in the system that can be plugged.

The Ministry of Health needs to re-look the evaluation and certification of every healthcare worker, especially those in the frontline. Lives are at risk and any small mistake can result in devastatingly disproportionate consequences. Both doctors and nurses undergo rigorous training and evaluation before they are allowed to carry out their duties. Those who do no pass, don't make it through.

While it is important to emphasise checking and counter-checking, it is vitally important to that they are equipped with the right knowledge in the first place. Otherwise, they may not even know that there was a mistake in the first place. Two wrongs still don't make a right.

This gap in training on new equipment need to be addressed. A staff nurse who is a relatively more senior nurse may not automatically know how to operate each and every new equipment that come their way.

There must be formal training in place to ensure that the nurses and doctors possess the sufficient knowledge to use such new equipment. They can be certified once they pass. On-the-job training must be supplementary and as used as a reinforcement training tool, not the only platform through which they can familiarise themselves with the equipment.

The public puts its trust in the healthcare workers. Don't make us lose our trust.

The writer, Kelvin, has trust issues.

A survey by Blackbox Research found that 74% of Singaporeans think that the next General Elections (GE) will take place in 2019. Even more staggering is that about a similar proportion of Singaporeans are supportive of holding the GE next year. Really? This may be a sign that our fellow Singaporeans are suffering from PAP-fatigue and cannot wait to tell the PAP what we think of it, through the ballot box.

Apart from that, another interesting finding from the survey was that cost of living was the most significant issue that Singaporeans are very concerned about. This is followed by the availability of jobs and unemployment, as well as housing affordability.

Younger Singaporeans may be coming into the picture, with many being able to exercise their votes for the first time. This demographic shift in the voter profiles was thought to potentially cause a shift in priorities. Younger voters are presumed to be more liberal and idealistic in their outlook, compared to their parents. The findings show that these generations may not be too dissimilar after all. It shows that Singaporeans in general are very practical people and are more concerned with the day-to-day challenges that they have to contend with. 

This places the PAP at significant disadvantage. They will have a hard time trying to convince Singaporeans that they are not responsible for the spike in the cost of living in Singapore. Even expats are finding things here expensive. 

Singaporeans are very used to the PAP. The pressures arising from the high cost of living will take its toll and have an impact on how Singaporeans vote. They want change. Heng Swee Keat becoming the PM, and the new generation of PAP leaders taking over is not change. That is business as usual.

For the opposition, GE can't come soon enough.

On voting day, every individual Singaporean has the power to effect a positive change, for the future of Singapore. Make it count.

The writer, Kelvin, hopes for contest in his constituency.

You can't miss it. It has been widely reported in the MSM. Christmas has come early for PAP. In the past, to manage the opposition, the PAP has taken opposition party members to court on charges of defamation. More often than not, due to the ensuing convictions, those opposition figures were unable to contest in the following parliamentary elections.

Now, Lim Tean, a founding member of the recently registered People's Voice Party, is the subject of a bankruptcy procedure initiated by a former business associate/client, Huang Min. Huang Min, who is based in Shanghai, alleged that Lim Tean had failed to repay a US$150,000 loan that was given to Lim Tean some time in 2013. According to Lim Tean, the money was a downpayment for iron ore supplied by Lim Tean.

This must be good news for the PAP. It's members does not have to spend time and money to go after a prominent opposition figure like.

For Singaporeans at least, this is definitely not news that you want to receive prior to Christmas.

The PAP has gone after alternative media platforms. Now, it seems like Lim Tean is facing the possibility of being disqualified for the upcoming general elections. This will be a blow for the opposition who want to ride on the wave of liberal optimism from the success of their counterparts in Malaysia to topple the dominant Barisan Nasional coalition.

As it stands, the reality is, the opposition slate is very limited in terms of the quality of the candidates that may contest. The situation is improving. More qualified people are stepping forward. However, the fear is that no enough will step forward in time for the upcoming elections. For the People's Voice Party, it could be severely destabilising to have to contest without their leader.

For Singaporeans, we continue in hope that more capable and suitable candidates can put themselves forward, in service of their constituents, and in Singaporeans at large.

The writer, Kelvin, is optimistic.