Gen Y and Political Renewal

Watch Workers' Party Chairman, Ms Sylvia Lim on 'Channel News Asia'.

Part 1:



Part 2:

A meaningful email

Work for me had been really hectic due to shortage of manpower. As much as I would like to pen down my thoughts to certain issues in my blog I can hardly find time for it or was just too tired to do so.

Amidst this busy period, I received an email from a friend that I would really love to share with people that I know.

It says,

You cannot decide how long you will live, but you can live your life to the fullest.

You cannot change the weather, but you can change your mood.

You cannot change your looks, but you can smile to make yourself more approachable.

You cannot control others, but you can control how you react to the situation.

You cannot predict what will happen tomorrow, but you can make full use of today.

You may not have smooth journey, but you can put in your very best.

Letter in ST Forum

I refer to the letter published in Straits Times Forum on 9th Sep 2009, 'Few Babies? It's the Hotel Mama mindset'.

Letter written by Peter Huber

IT IS not by chance that Singapore has such a low fertility rate. There are many contributing factors, but an important one is the housing policy and the mindset behind it.

In Europe and the United States, people leave their homes in their early 20s or even earlier. With their salaries, they can afford to rent a place, maybe with a friend or two. Those aged 25 and above, who are still living at home, are considered strange, immature and lacking in independence.

In the West, people in their 20s experiment, enjoy their freedom and have probably more than one relationship before they settle down and start a family.

In Singapore, it is a policy that only married couples can have an affordable, subsidised flat. It is way too expensive for someone who has just entered the workforce to rent or buy an apartment on the resale market. So they live with their parents and enjoy Hotel Mama, which is comfortable and saves them some money.

But they have to follow their parents' rules, such as, 'When I wake up, you have to be in your bed, alone'. Bringing a lover home is out of the question. For them, childhood continues until they are well into their 30s.

Is it then really surprising that there are not many babies?

It is not just a question of having no private space. It is also a question of mentality. In the West, young people learn early to stand on their own feet, to take care of themselves, to live their own lives.

In Singapore, the young are conditioned to follow the rules, to live for their schools or jobs, to listen to their parents and to be obedient citizens.

But different qualities are needed for starting a family, such as readiness to take risks, independence and the ability to have fun.

In Singapore, there is too much emphasis on obedience, too little on independence. That is not good for having babies.

Some might say that Singapore has no choice because it is a small island. But I don't know any other big city which has so much empty land, even at the best locations next to underground train stations.

It seems to be the policy here to make available only a little land for buildings and to keep property prices sky-high.

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I agree with Peter on his 1st sentence, that is...

"IT IS not by chance that Singapore has such a low fertility rate."

Yes, it is not by chance that we are not having enough babies. The policies that had been put in place as well as the evolving role of women plays a part. For those who are not aware or had forgotten, a policy called 'Stop at Two' was ever put in placed in 1969.

The response to this policy was very positive. It was so good that the population of Singapore started to decrease. It was until 1987 that the government realize that the population is declining at a rapid rate that they introduced the policy, '3 or more if you can afford it'.

The pictures below shows the publicity posters back then.





Unfortunately, that is the only thing I agree with Peter.

Peter went on to explain that another factor that causes low birth rate in Singapore is that we are traditional in our thinking. That is, we stay with our parents only until we are married and have our own family. And the fact that because we stay with our parents we do not have the freedom to bring home a sex partner.

It seems to me that, only after having multiple sex partners and then a person will eventually settle down with one and that is how we can increase birth rate.

I was bewildered by the rationale or is there something else to it?

The Asians and the Westerners behave differently due to only one reason -- different culture leading to a different set of values. Therefore, what works for the west may not work for us.

One may say that I'm conservative but social as well as moral responsibility is equally essential.

'Come Together, Reaching Out, Reaching Up'

It's our Nation's 44th Birthday and as a Singaporean I'm happy with what we have achieve thus far. Let us not forget that this is possible because our ancestors came together many years back as one.

Yes, as one. That's the key message. Regardless of race, language and religion, they came together as one and that's how our Nation can prosper. May I also add in regardless of marital status in the case of married and single mothers. I hope that single mothers can eventually get to have the same benefits as married mothers. The latter also in their own way contributed to our Nation.

As Singaporeans, let's reach out to those who are in need, those who need help. Listen to them and may help be available to them.

The old lady selling tissue paper from table to table at the Kopitiam, the old man that collects cardboard to earn a living and the disabled middle aged man who sings along the road-side, these people are our Nation builders. As our Nation progresses, we should not forget them.

Our country continues to reach up, achieving greater heights and prosperity. Hopefully not at the expense of those who are in need.

May the Nation, our country truly becomes a place that we can call Home. A place that our young people will not run away from to work in other countries and eventually settled down over there. A place that we are proud to mention it to our foreign friends. A place that we, Singaporeans can depend on and not fear to be in. A place that our Nation Builders will be taken care of and not left something they have to take care of.

Lastly, let's come together like how our ancestors did, to reach out to those who need help and not leave anyone behind as we prosper and reach up to scale greater heights as one Nation.

"Happy National Day!"

'Sex is mutual, rape is violent'...I agree with this!

In Singapore,

Sections 375 (”Rape”) and 376A (”Sexual penetration of minor under 16″) share similar marital rape immunity:

No man shall be guilty of an offence under [relevant 375 or 376A subsections], if his wife is not under 13 years of age, except where at the time of the offence –

1. his wife was living apart from him –
   1. under an interim judgment of divorce not made final or a decree nisi for divorce not made absolute;
   2. under an interim judgment of nullity not made final or a decree nisi for nullity not made absolute;
   3. under a judgment or decree of judicial separation; or
   4. under a written separation agreement;
2. his wife was living apart from him and proceedings have been commenced for divorce, nullity or judicial separation, and such proceedings have not been terminated or concluded;
3. there was in force a court injunction to the effect of restraining him from having sexual intercourse with his wife;
4. there was in force a protection order under section 65 or an expedited order under section 66 of the Women’s Charter (Cap. 353) made against him for the benefit of his wife; or
5. his wife was living apart from him and proceedings have been commenced for the protection order or expedited order referred to in paragraph (d), and such proceedings have not been terminated or concluded.

From the above, it seems to me that as long as a wife is staying together with her husband, legally married to each other, even if her husband forces himself on her is not RAPE.

The definition of rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent.

"Rape is rape is rape. An extreme form of violence and violation. Rape of a woman by her husband should be treated just like any other kind of rape. Abolish marital rape immunity. There can be no exceptions."

I agree entirely with the statement above which I found on this website which was set up by a group of concerned Singaporeans.

As such I would like to take this opportunity to help spread the word and post the following announcement on behalf of the 'No to Rape' Team.....

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The No To Rape campaign would like to invite you to attend Towards Criminalising Marital Rape: A Public Seminar.

It is not illegal for a man to rape his wife under current Singapore law (with limited exceptions). No To Rape believes the law should treat all non-consensual sex in the same way - as criminal violence - even if the parties are married to each other. An online petition at NoToRape.com shows that more than 1,400 have agreed since 1 July 2009 - and the numbers continue to grow.

Bringing together expert speakers who have studied and worked on marital rape and domestic violence in a range of fields - from law to social work to activism - Towards Criminalising Marital Rape is a unique opportunity to explore the issues raised by the campaign's call to abolish marital immunity for rape.

Do you want to know more about what domestic violence in Singapore is really like? Are you interested in how to make the No To Rape objective a legislative reality? Or would you like to put your doubts about and disagreements with No To Rape to the experts? This is your chance.

Speakers:
* Dana Lam, President of AWARE
* Benny Bong, President of Society Against Family Violence
* Chan Wing Cheong, NUS Law Faculty
* Braema Mathi, MARUAH, the Singapore working group for an ASEAN human rights mechanism
* Siew Kum Hong, former NMP

Presentation titles and abstracts can be found at http://www.NoToRape.com/Seminar

7 Aug 2009, Fri
6:30 – 9:30 pm
Venue: TBC

Free admission + Open to public (registration required)
Register at http://www.NoToRape.com/Seminar

We look forward to seeing you there. Please feel free to send this invitation to anyone who might be interested in the event.

From 'No To Rape' team

Breast Cancer, the TOP cancer for women in Singapore

(This article was edited and first published in the 'Hammer', issue: 0902)

Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths, women has a lower mortality rates because of their longer life span as compared to men. However, morbidity rates which refers to the prevalence rate of poor health, is higher for women. Statistics have shown that the reason behind higher morbidity rates for women is the complex body that we have.

Over the decade, the word ‘cancer’ never fails to strike fear in people. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Singapore among women. Women of all the 3 major ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay, and Indian) are equally affected.

A report from ‘Channel News Asia’ (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/380260/1/.html) reported that, some 1,300 women are diagnosed with the disease every year, and 313 women die from breast cancer every year. Early detection saves lives, but only 41 per cent of women go for screening.

This incidence has more than doubled over the last twenty-five years. What are some of the possible reasons that had caused this particular type of cancer to be the number 1 cancer in Singapore?

1) Ageing population

Singapore's population is ageing rapidly. The initial cohort of post-war baby boomers will reach 65 years of age by 2012. Today, one out of every 12 Singaporeans is aged 65 or above. This ratio will become one out of five by 2030. Due to lower mortality rates, women are likely to live longer than men and with higher morbidity rates, the longer live span comes with unhealthy body conditions such as Breast Cancer.

2) Dietary factors

Singaporeans’ diet includes a wide variety. Due to the better standard of living that we now have, many are able to afford good food. However, ‘good’ food may not necessarily mean healthy food. Excessive red meat and animal fat and too little fibre increases the risk. Unfortunately, both red meat and animal fat form a huge chuck of our diet now.

3) Higher reproductive ages of women

Singaporean women are getting married at a later age hence giving birth at a later age too. Research had shown that women with no children or having the first child after age 35 are at a higher risk of Breast Cancer. Genealogists always have this as an advice for all mothers-to-be, which is to breast-feed. Besides benefiting the baby, it also reduces the risk of Breast Cancer.

4) Not educated about the illness

A nation-wide government-subsidized breast screening programme was initiated in January 2002. It is targeted at women aged 50 to 69 years of
age. Women who are eligible are invited by letter to present for the
first screen, and recalled at two-yearly intervals for mammogram. This programme which is administered by the Health Promotion Board will be responsible for tracking and recalling. However, there is still a group of women who are not aware of it, the illiterate. They have little or no knowledge of Breast Cancer.

The only proven and effective method of detecting Breast Cancer is the Mammogram. The subsidize cost of a Mammogram in the Polyclinic is $50 (http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/default.asp?pg_id=1274#mammocost). This amount may seem to be affordable by many but at the same time; it could mean a lot to some as well. What else can the Government do to help decrease the number of deaths caused by this dreaded illness?

It would be ideal to provide ‘free’ Mammogram screening for women age 50 – 69, with the Government funding these institutions. Why this particular age group because Mammogram had proven to be most effective for women in this age group.

This ‘free’ screening can be made available to women who belong to a certain group. That is to say probably capita per household is less than $1000. This is because there is a high chance of women in this age group, earning this income is illiterate. Hence, she is firstly not able to afford and secondly not aware of it at all. This group of people will receive letters from MOH informing them about free mammograms and where they can have the screening done. Have brochures with pictures to illustrate the point so that they can understand, otherwise have contact numbers big enough for them to notice so that they can call to enquire. Have people who are able to speak dialects as well as mother tongue be it mandarin, Tamil or Malay to handle the calls.

Another alternative is to allow the usage of Medisave to finance 50% of the cost of screenings. A survey (http://smj.sma.org.sg/4801/4801a5.pdf) done in 2007 revealed that women who found the cost of mammographic screening at a subsidized rate of $50 to be expensive, most gave a range of $20–$30 to be a reasonable price for the service.

Hence if women are required to pay a range of $20 - $30 for a mammogram, it could increase the chances of them going for the screening.

Why Medisave? Medisave contribution varies according to age. The table below illustrates the contribution for employee age 50 – 65 and above.

(Table taken from CPF website)

Let’s cite an example of a woman age 55 with a monthly salary of $1000. That is to say her monthly CPF contribution is 28.5% which is $285. $84.987 out of the $285 goes into her Medisave Account. One year later, she would have accumulated $1019.844 in her Medisave.

With a 4% returns on her Medisave annually, $1019.844 can bring $40.79 which is 80% of the cost of a mammogram. Hence, with this interest paid to the account, the 50% of a screening which is $25 can be paid from it instead of exhausting her Medisave. This will then means that the woman pays only $25 in cash instead of $50.

Among the other reasons cited, I personally believe that cost is the main factor. The other factors can be easily overcome through outreach and education, but money is a strong practical hindrance. Hence, it is vital for the government to provide free mammogram screening for specific groups of women, and allow Medisave to be used to pay for it.

'Happy Mothers' Day!'

This is going out to all mothers.

Thank you for your selfless sacrifices, sleepless nights, patience and thank you so much for taking on the world's toughest job :)

Mas Selamat CAPTURED!

Alas! Mas Selamat is found and of course he did escape out of the country. Finally we can hear from the man at last! Hear from him how did he exactly escape from the supposedly highly secured detention centre.

I believe this is 1 piece of information that the public would very much like to know. How did he manage to wear 2 layers of clothing without being suspected. How he climbed through the toilet window. How he jumped out from the window and eventually land onto a pile of toilet rolls and finally how did he climbed through the barbed wire and limp his way out and swam to Johor.

For all we know, his escape could be Jack Neo's next movie production!

In any case, I think its time to hear from the man.