DPM Teo to govt scholars: Stay focused to ‘serving’ Singapore and Singaporeans

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has called on government scholars to stay ‘focused’ on ‘serving’ the nation.

Speaking at the Economic Development Board’s annual scholarship ceremony, he said:

“Remember, when you study, and you work, you’re not working just for yourself, or your company, you’re working for Singapore and Singaporeans. That’s the most important and the most satisfying bottom line that anyone can have.”

Ten Singaporeans received the Economic Development Board scholarship this year and they will be studying in universities in the United States or Europe.

Singapore government scholars are guaranteed a ‘golden’ rice bowl upon graduation after which they will rise rapidly within the ranks of the civil service.

 

Singapore’s inflation rate continues to climb

Ordinary Singaporeans continue to suffer under the weight of rampant inflation as it rises to a shocking 5.3 per cent year-on-year in June, exceeding market expectations of a 5.1 per cent increase.

According to the Department of Statistics, housing and transport costs top the increase.

Transport cost gained 8.7 per cent last month from 2011, with the increase mainly in private road transport because of higher car prices.

Together, accommodation and private road transport costs make up some two-thirds of the CPI all items inflation in June.

However, the authorities expect inflation rate to be lower in the second half of the year, compared to the first half.

 

M Ravi: WP MPs are ‘cow dungs’

Prominent Human Rights lawyer M Ravi has lashed out at Workers Party’s MPs for their lack of support to his client in the Hougang by-election case.

Mr Ravi is representing Hougang resident  Mdm Vellama Marie Muthu in her campaign for the Court to declare that the Prime Minister does not have unfettered discretion in deciding when to call by-elections.

Though the by-election in Hougang has been held, Mr Ravi is still continuing fighting the case.

In a fiery speech delivered at the Speakers’ Corner yesterday afternoon, Mr Ravi publicly called WP MPs Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim and Chen Show Mao ‘cow dungs’.

Afraid to offend the PAP, WP MPs have been quick to distance themselves from the by-election case when it was first filed in High Court, saying they have nothing to do with it whatsoever.

Despite promising to be a ‘co-driver’ to the government, WP MPs have either been sleeping most of the time in parliament or asking mostly trivial and irrelevant questions, leading many disgruntled netizens to dub them as the PAP’s ‘B team’.

Meanwhile, it is said that the PAP and WP grassroots are working in ‘harmony’ together in Hougang as one big happy ‘family’ so much so that it is almost impossible to differentiate between the two camps.

WP MP Pritam Singh had earlier proclaimed proudly that WP will form a coalition government with the PAP in the event the latter failed to win a simple majority in a future elections.

 

NTUC recommends 6 months of paid maternity leave for mothers

In a desperate move to boost Singapore’s flagging birth rate, NTUC is recommending that working mums be given six months of paid maternity leave, and an additional six months of unpaid leave.

Speaking to queries from the media, NTUC President Diana Chia said:

“It’s important for us to encourage employers to embrace better work-life (balance). Particularly after delivery, there are certain stresses for women. Many women, because of this difficulty, leave their job to take care of their family. And to get them back to work is also an enormous task. So we’re actually looking at how we can phase in this.”

The idea was met with a lukewarm response from some members of the public, one of whom told the state media:

“It’s good, this will encourage more women to have babies, but it depends on the company. (For) small companies, I don’t think they can afford to give six months of maternity leave followed by no pay leave.”

The key reason behind Singaporeans delaying marriage and starting their own families is the sky-rocketing prices of properties which is partly caused by the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore in recent years.