Remember all these the next time you vote

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Forum: Insurance company making it hard for policyholders to have continuity of care​

APR 07, 2024

I have been a loyal policyholder of Income Insurance for decades, with six policies with the company. However, Income Insurance has introduced new terms and conditions regarding panel and non-panel specialist doctors in its Integrated Shield Plans.
I had a long-established patient-doctor relationship with my specialist doctor A. When I needed an operation, I was informed that I would need to pay a $2,000 non-panel deductible if I continued treatment with doctor A, as she is not on Income Insurance’s panel. I was advised to see another specialist, doctor B, who was on Income Insurance’s panel, to avoid paying the deductible.
Now, I have learnt that doctor B has left Income Insurance’s panel, and I would have to find a new doctor to continue my care.
Some of my friends have faced similar issues, needing to change their specialist doctors due to Income Insurance’s mandate to use panel doctors, or pay the deductible, which is up to $2,000 in each policy year.
This policy may affect patient autonomy, and continuity of care. It also increases healthcare costs, as new doctors may need to repeat previous tests and procedures and re-evaluate the previous treatment plan.
Continuity of care is essential for managing chronic conditions, ensuring accurate diagnoses, and fostering trust between patients and their healthcare providers.
This policy does not seem to be in line with the Ministry of Health’s Healthier SG programme that encourages us to stay with one doctor to develop and enjoy a long-term trusted relationship.

I hope Income Insurance will reconsider this policy and uphold the principles of patient-centred care and fairness that prioritise the well-being of policyholders.

Ng Sout San

Forum: Insurance companies should be transparent about how they pay doctors​

APR 10, 2024

I refer to Ms Ng Sout San’s letter “Insurance company making it hard for policyholders to have continuity of care” (April 8).
As doctors and insurers continue to debate over remuneration amounts and the role of panels, we sometimes forget the people we are serving –our patients. As a breast surgeon myself, whenever I speak up on such matters, I might be perceived by some as self-serving. Therefore, I am glad members of the public are speaking up about what they need.
All of us need access to healthcare at some point in our lives. We must take an active interest in open discussion to better shape policy.
Patients should have access to any doctor of their choice. I have heard ad nauseum the same old arguments of how panels help to reduce costs, and accusations of overcharging by doctors and hospitals. The Ministry of Health has stepped up efforts to rein in these costs. I call for transparency in how insurance companies remunerate doctors. Currently, contracts with non-disclosure clauses are signed between doctor and insurer when they enter a panel, with all the caveats and limitations to adhere to.
Just as common procedure and hospital fee benchmarks are listed in public domains, I propose that insurers should also let their policyholders (or even the public) know about their fee schedules for common procedures.
In addition, I propose that a modified reimbursement be considered–where a company offers a certain fee, but patients can choose to top up the difference for a highly skilled and experienced doctor that they choose. This has multiple benefits where doctors will be mindful of fees and charge appropriately, and patients will be truly empowered to decide where they go for treatment.
Every month, new doctors join the private sector. Are insurers keeping up with reviewing and expanding their panels to include these doctors who can bring new skill sets and knowledge to help patients?

I fully respect the work and necessity of insurers in paying for healthcare bills. I am committed to creating a fair ecosystem, and for always putting patients first. Let all the stakeholders collaborate in educating patients, so that they can make an informed choice in which insurer they use, which doctor they choose and which hospital they go to.

Tan Yia Swam (Dr)

 

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How the high cost of living is hitting Singapore's poor​

31 January 2022
By Mariko Oi,Asia business correspondent

OK Chicken Rice
Chicken rice stalls have seen higher costs of ingredients, electricity and labour
In South East Asia you don't get much more of a staple food than chicken rice. Found in almost every food court and hawker centre, it is considered one of Singapore's national dishes.

Daniel Tan, who owns six chicken rice stalls, has previously charged $2.20 (£1.60) for a small portion. But Covid has seen the cost of his ingredients rise sharply.

The price of chicken has gone up by 50% and vegetable costs have more than doubled since January 2020, he says.

"We've been absorbing the costs for a significant period of time," he tells me as we meet at one of his OK Chicken Rice stalls in the north of Singapore.

"When the pandemic hit our first thought was this was a short-term emergency - six months, maybe a year - so we held [prices] for as long as we can because we were hoping for the whole thing to be over."

Getty Images
Lower rice prices mean that inflation has been more muted across Asia than elsewhere in the world
But when his electricity bills also jumped, Mr Tan decided it was time to raise prices. "A thousand dollar electrical bill for a chicken rice store really is not sustainable," he says.

"If I go on any further, either my staff are not paid or I have to close down some stores and that's not what we want to do."

Due to border closures and new employment regulations, Mr Tan has faced staff shortages and higher salaries, which all feed into rising costs for his business.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says global food prices rose 28% in 2021.


"The last time food prices were this high was in 2011, when policymakers were actually warning about a global food crisis," says Dr Abdul Abiad of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

These latest price rises are due to higher energy costs, which affect food and fertiliser production, with global supply chain issues compounding the problem.

Even in a wealthy nation like Singapore, it means that the number of families seeking help has increased.


"What we have seen when we make the door-to-door deliveries is that young families [with] both husband and wife working a part-time job or in the gig economy - these were the families that got impacted when Covid hit and all the part-time work dried up," says Nichol Ng, co-founder of Food Bank Singapore.

It is not just the poorest 10% of the population who now need help, she says: "It has slowly crept to maybe 20% of the population including middle income families that might not even know where to get help in the first place."

And it is also not just higher food prices that are affecting those in need. "Due to Covid, everybody's self-awareness about looking after themselves in terms of hygiene has increased," says Ms Ng.

Nichol Ng of the Food Bank Singapore says she has seen a rise in people asking for help
But higher palm oil prices mean that shampoos, hand soaps and sanitisers have also become a lot more expensive.


"Up to 20% of our requests thus far, especially starting from the second half of last year, has been pivoting towards personal hygiene products," she adds.

Ms Ng is also concerned that the current wave of inflation does not seem to be temporary. "In the past, at certain times of the year, you might see these price surges but it seems that this inflation is going to be persistent - and none of us really have that crystal ball to understand when it is going to end," she says.

Elsewhere in the region the impact of higher prices is even more severe. The latest FAO report shows more than 375 million people in Asia faced hunger in 2020, an increase of 54 million from the previous year.

In 2020, the Global Food Banking Network saw the number of people needing help increase by more than 130% to 40m, with half of them living in Asia.

This is despite the fact that food price increases in Asia have been more muted than in the US or Europe, where inflation has soared to levels not seen in decades.

There are several reasons for this, including a good rice harvest in 2021, says the ADB's Dr Abiad. While maize prices rose 44% last year and wheat by 31% , rice prices dropped 4% . "So rice being the main staple in many Asian economies contributed to a food price inflation being lower in the region," he says.

Asian nations also produce a lot of their own food, which has been sold in domestic markets rather than being exported. Governments have also been working to ensure that food supplies have been stable, says Dr Abiad.

In the Philippines, for example, liberalisation of rice imports has allowed the supply of rice to improve which has kept prices low.


Meanwhile, China has been stockpiling various important food products, which has resulted in it bucking the trend, with the country's food prices falling in 2021.

But it has also led to criticism that the world's second biggest economy, which accounts for 20% of global population, is hoarding supplies as it is estimated to hold 69% of the world's corn reserves, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat by mid-2022, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Getty Images
Global food prices are expected to remain high in 2022
Singapore imports the majority of its foodstuffs, but so far big supermarket chains like NTUC FairPrice have decided not to pass on higher prices to consumers.

To keep the prices of key products stable, the firm says it is employing various strategies including "stockpiling of daily essentials, forward buying and diversifying our import sources to over 100 countries".


NTUC FairPrice also has more than 2,000 own-brand products such as rice, oil, toiletries and cleaning products that it says are at least 10% cheaper than comparable popular brands.

Mr Tan of OK Chicken Rice, who also owns three mini supermarkets, says smaller retailers tend to take their cue from larger rivals when pricing goods.

"They act like a central bank to the rest of the grocery players in Singapore. The good thing about it is that inflation doesn't spike up as much during a crisis but the bad side effect is that entrepreneurship is stifled and only semi-government players can survive," he says.

Daniel Tan
Daniel Tan also owns minimarts which have also seen higher costs
"The question is, after the whole thing is over how many smaller players are left?" asks Mr Tan.


Global food prices are expected to remain high this year and the FAO's David Dawe says this is of concern for Asian governments because price hikes have not yet worked their way through the system.

"If global prices continue to rise, there will be an impact, especially for lower income families who spend bigger proportion of their income on food."

Economists like Mr Dawe and Dr Abiad remain optimistic that Asian countries will continue to be shielded from double-digit food inflation.

But for those on the ground, like Mr Tan and Ms Ng, the issue feels more acute. They wonder whether higher prices, rather than being transitory, will linger on just as the pandemic has.

 

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Forum: Address power imbalance between IP insurers and policyholders​

APR 27, 2024

Numerous letters to the Forum have highlighted the issues of Integrated Shield Plan (IP) panels, from the perspective of policyholders and doctors. This was followed by an Opinion piece “How to fix S’pore’s healthcare insurance and preserve care continuity for patients” (April 25).
Policyholders with private IPs are steered towards panel specialists to get benefits, or to avoid incurring extra out-of-pocket costs.
The enrolment and removal of panel specialists are entirely at the discretion of the insurers. Many specialists, especially those new to private practice, continue to have difficulty getting onto panels.
Long-term policyholders have been adversely affected by panel restrictions, but are unable to change insurers (Insurer making it hard for policyholders to have continuity of care, April 7).
Doctors have pointed out that steering patients to panel doctors may affect the timeliness of urgent care, and disrupt existing patient-doctor relationships. (Abolish medical panels – they negatively impact patient care, stifle competition, April 12; and Should patient-doctor relationship be cornerstone of healthcare system? April 17).
There has also been increased scrutiny of claims, which may delay claims settlement.
There is a power imbalance between IP insurers and their policyholders. Insurers are free to vary the terms and conditions of the policy by serving notice to policyholders.

Even if policyholders disagree with changes in terms and conditions, they may feel compelled to accept them, as any medical condition they have developed over the years would be considered as pre-existing conditions by other insurers.
Other insurers may impose premium loading, exclude coverage of pre-existing conditions, or reject coverage altogether.
Panels were implemented by IP insurers to mitigate healthcare inflation.
The Singapore Medical Association feels that doctor fee inflation has been adequately addressed through the Ministry of Health (MOH) fee benchmarks, as well as efforts by the MOH claims management office to reduce inappropriate claims.
We continue to recommend that IP panels be open to all specialists who undertake to charge reasonably, or alternatively to have panels abolished.
To address the issue of power imbalance, stakeholders and regulators could look into whether changes in insurance design, such as the portability of IPs, would be beneficial. If policyholders can change their IPs without losing coverage for pre-existing conditions, it could promote healthy competition among insurers and ensure that policyholders get a fair deal.

Ng Chee Kwan (Dr)
President
Singapore Medical Association

 

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Singtel flags $3.1 billion impairment hit, net loss in second half of FY2024​

About $2 billion of the impairment provisions originate from its Australian unit Optus’ goodwill, Singtel said. PHOTO: ST FILE
UPDATED

APR 29, 2024

BENGALURU - Singtel on April 29 forecast non-cash impairment provisions of $3.1 billion for the second half of financial year 2024 which would lead to the telecom giant reporting a net loss for the period.
The company also warned that it would report a lower net profit for the full year ended March 31, 2024.
About $2 billion of the total impairment provision originates from its Australian unit Optus’ goodwill, Singtel said in its bourse filing.
An “impending deal” for Optus was recently ruled out by Singtel following reports that talks for a potential stake divestment had fallen off.
Singtel added that Optus expects a non-cash impairment provisions of $470 million on its enterprise fixed access network assets, mainly due to weaker prospects, increased cost of capital and a bleak macroeconomic outlook.
After conducting a strategic review of its enterprise business, Optus found that it was reporting steep declines in fixed carriage revenue, in-line with an overall market decline in Australia, the Singtel filing stated.
Among other units, the Asia Pacific cyber security business is expected to report non-cash impairment provision for goodwill of $340 million, with $280 million of the same expected from IT service provider NCS Australia.

Singtel said the impairment provisions will not impact the payment of dividends. “Singtel is on track to pay at the upper end of its dividend policy for the financial year ended 31 March 2024,” it said in the filing.
The company is scheduled to report results for the financial year ended March 31 on May 23.
In a separate announcement on April 29, Singtel said its unit Optus struck a deal with local rival TPG Telecom to provide access to its local radio network in regional Australia.
As a part of the agreement, TPG will increase its mobile network in regional Australia to 2,444 network sites, with Optus providing TPG Telecom access to its regional radio access network and sharing spectrum in regional Australia.
“The agreement will reduce combined 5G network rollout costs in regional Australia, which will enable the rollout of 5G infrastructure to be completed two years earlier than previously planned,” said Optus interim chief executive Michael Venter.
The agreement is expected to be operational by early 2025 and has an initial term of 11 years with an option for TPG to extend it for five more years. REUTERS

 

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Motorists can opt to install next-gen ERP processing units at driver’s footwell: LTA​

The LTA has made changes to address feedback after the units were installed in over 18,000 vehicles. PHOTOS: LTA

Ang Qing

MAY 02


SINGAPORE - Motorists can opt to install the processing unit for their next-generation Electronic Road Pricing system (ERP 2.0) on-board equipment in the driver’s footwell, if their vehicle allows it, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
In a statement on May 2, LTA said vehicle owners can choose to install the unit in either the driver’s or the front passenger’s footwell, but they can opt for the units to be installed in other parts of their vehicle if these locations are not feasible, subject to safety considerations and technical feasibility.
The change is among improvements to the ERP on-board unit’s features and installation process rolled out by LTA to address feedback after the units were installed in more than 18,000 vehicles.
The on-board unit has three components: the processing unit, an antenna and a touchscreen display.
LTA’s statement came in the wake of complaints in recent weeks from motorists who said the location of the ERP 2.0 processing unit at the passenger’s side of the vehicle made it difficult and unsafe for drivers who had to reach for cards lodged there while they are in the driver’s seat.
LTA said it has also introduced a button on the unit’s touchscreen display since April 19 following safety concerns raised by motorists.
The feature allows drivers to deactivate their payment cards by pressing a button on the unit’s touchscreen display. This allows them to use complimentary parking tickets at carpark gantries without removing their payment cards from the processing unit.

Should drivers forget to reactivate the card after leaving the carpark, it will not affect their ERP payments as the correct amount will still be deducted from the card balance when their vehicles reach an active ERP gantry, it added.
Payment firm Nets will also give a free Motoring Card to all motorists with the new ERP 2.0 unit, so drivers can tap this card to enter or exit some private car parks without the Electronic Parking System, instead of reaching for payment cards lodged in their processing unit.
Nets will announce more details in due course, said LTA.

At present, most private carparks and all public carparks use the Electronic Parking System.
The installation exercise for the new on-board units began with fleet vehicles, such as buses and motorcycles, in November 2023.
New vehicles registered since May 1 would have been pre-fitted with equipment for the next-generation ERP system.
The authority said it has instructed all motor dealers and importers to consult buyers of new vehicles on where they would like the processing unit positioned, and whether they want to install the touchscreen display.
Said LTA: “For owners who choose not to install the touchscreen display, they will still receive a unit of the touchscreen display, so that they have the option to install the display if they change their minds subsequently.”

With the deactivation function and the free Nets card, the only other time motorists may have to remove their payment card would be to manually top up the cards.
LTA said it will deploy ambassadors to vehicle showrooms and workshops to guide motorists through their options, which include teaching them how to automatically top up their payment cards.
It said: “With auto top-up, a vehicle owner does not need to remove his card from the processing unit when the balance is low, as the top-up will be done automatically.”
LTA said it has received positive feedback from early adopters who appreciated the safety notifications from the on-board units on school zones, silver zones and bus-lane hours, as these have helped raise awareness of their surroundings and enhance road safety.
The authority said it is working with the Traffic Police to expand the safety notifications to include more speed-camera zones, including red-light cameras and mobile cameras, to remind motorists to keep within the speed limits.

These extra features will be pushed out to motorists wirelessly after the units are installed, so motorists will not have to take their vehicles back to workshops for the upgrades, said LTA.
It added: “We appreciate the early adopters who stepped forward and provided useful feedback to improve our design and installation process.
“LTA has taken on board the learning points and suggestions for improvement, and made changes to enhance user choice, convenience and safety.”
The next-generation ERP system is based on satellite navigation technology and replaces the outgoing 25-year-old system. When it is fully rolled out, there will be no need to rely on physical gantries to run the ERP system.

 

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DBS/POSB digital banking services down for some customers​

This includes logging into their bank accounts on their apps and using PayLah!. PHOTOS: ST READER

Ang Qing

MAY 02, 2024


SINGAPORE - Some users of DBS/POSB’s digital services have reported difficulties accessing Singapore’s biggest bank’s services since about 5.40pm.
This includes logging into their bank accounts on their apps and using PayLah!.
The Downdetector website, which tracks service disruptions, recorded a total of more than 2,200 reports from users who had issues with DBS and POSB’s services at about 6.10pm.
This comes two days after the Monetary Authority of Singapore said it will lift restrictions on the bank’s non-essential banking activities, which had been imposed in response to disruptions to the bank’s services in 2023.
The Straits Times has contacted DBS Bank and the Monetary Authority of Singapore for comment.

 

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Hawker food prices rose by 6.1% in 2023, but cost pressures easing​

The Singapore Department of Statistics study compared prices of food across hawker centres, coffee shops and foodcourts. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Shermaine Ang, Jordan Loo and Taryn Ng

MAY 26, 2024

SINGAPORE - Hawker food prices rose by 6.1 per cent in 2023, the highest since 2008, a new study by the Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat) found.
For example, the average cost of a plate of chicken rice in 2023 was $4.15, up from $3.40 in 2019, while that of a bowl of mee rebus went up from $3.26 to $3.79 in the same time period.
While some cost pressures have since eased – with hawker food inflation falling to 4.1 per cent in December 2023 after peaking at 8.3 per cent in February 2023 – this may not translate to cheaper eats.
Price increases were driven partly by factors such as pricier raw food ingredients due to supply chain disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and compounded by other events such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the study found.
They have since moderated because global energy and food commodity prices fell significantly between February and December 2023, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry, pointing out that the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate also appreciated.
“This abated cost pressures faced by F&B (food and beverage) service providers, including hawkers, in terms of imported raw ingredients, electricity and gas,” it said.
It expects hawker food inflation to ease further in 2024 if cost conditions stay favourable.

Global prices of most food commodities such as cereals, meat and dairy are likely to continue falling due to favourable global supply conditions, and the Singapore dollar trade-weighted exchange rate is gradually strengthening, it said.
The study, published on May 6, compared the 6.1 per cent jump in overall hawker food prices in 2023 with the average price increase of 2.2 per cent per year observed from 2012 to 2022.
It compared prices of food across hawker centres, coffee shops and foodcourts, using the consumer price index for hawker food, which measures the average price changes across more than 100 hawker food items from 1,700 stalls. A total of 16 commonly sold food items and beverages were analysed.

In response to queries, SingStat said price increases were also observed at restaurants, which saw a 5.9 per cent increase, and in fast food, which was up 7.7 per cent.
SingStat’s study also found that at hawker centres, drinks saw the largest price increase of 6.9 per cent, while at coffee shops and foodcourts, prices of noodle and rice items recorded the largest increases of 8 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively.
CGS International economic adviser Song Seng Wun said prices of ingredients are affected by global trends such as climate change and war, which drove up prices of cooking oil, chicken, sugar and cocoa, among other ingredients.
The price spike in 2023 could also have been because some hawkers chose to raise prices at one go, rather than have incremental increases every year, said Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies. This finding was similar to results from her 2023 study on food prices called the Makan Index project.
“Stall owners might have waited for the cost increases in different areas, such as utilities, rent, GST (goods and services tax), ingredients, and delivery, logistics or supply chain, to stabilise somewhat before deciding on the exact price increase, and to do a larger increase at one go.”

Professor Lawrence Loh from NUS Business School said the easing of hawker food inflation may also be due to fewer increases in rent, which make up the bulk of operating costs for hawkers, alongside manpower and ingredients.
SingStat’s study noted that food prices and price increases were lower at hawker centres than at coffee shops and foodcourts.
At hawker centres, the median rent for cooked food stallholders not on a subsidised scheme has remained at around $1,250 per month over the last 10 years, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in September 2023.
The monthly rent for operators of eating houses – coffee shops that can each house at least six stalls – can range from $6,500 to $68,888, according to the Housing Board’s past tender results.

Mulling over keeping prices low​

Hokkien mee hawker Mitchell Ong, 26, who has a stall at Golden Mile Food Centre, said ingredient and electricity costs are the key challenges he faces in keeping prices low.
The cost of 1kg of lime rose from $4 to $6 after the GST hike, and electricity prices went up from about $1,000 to $1,800 a month.
This drove him to raise prices for a plate of hokkien mee by $1, to $5, $6 and $7 currently, depending on the portion size.
When asked how he keeps costs low, he said: “I cut down on my own expenses, cutting down on my meals from three to two a day. I also work longer hours now... (previously I worked) from 11.30am to 8pm, (now I work) from 10.30am to 9pm, or even 10pm.”
Mr Fadzil Mohd Alip, 28, a hawker at a halal Western food store in Golden Mile Food Centre, said: “Generally, protein prices increased the most during the GST hike. Increasing costs of oil, electricity and dried goods are more manageable.”
He raised the price of his chicken chop from $7.50 to $8.50 in February, but added two side dishes, baked beans and garlic bread, on top of the original fries and coleslaw.

Mr Fadzil Mohd Alip (left) and Mr Mohamed Amrizuhairi Mohamed Amin, co-owners of Charr’d The Hawker stall. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Observers said hawker centres usually have more than one stall selling the same dish, and this increases the competition for customers.
Dr Teo said: “Stall owners might be less willing to do a drastic increase since that would make their competitors’ food cheaper and perhaps more popular in comparison.”
In addition, some hawkers are of the pioneer batches that were relocated from the streets into hawker centres, and pay a subsidised rent, she said. Ms Fu had said that they typically pay $192, $320, or $384 per month, depending on the upgrading works done at their hawker centre.
But given that these hawkers are decreasing in number, Singapore could see larger price increases for hawker centre food in the future, Dr Teo added.


The increase in prices of hawker food has not gone unnoticed among diners The Straits Times spoke to.
Ms Esther Tay, a diner at Koufu Toa Payoh Central, orders a cup of kopi-o every lunch break. The 49-year-old real estate agent noted that although kopi-o is already the cheapest option, its price has increased by 20 per cent at some places.
“There’s a place at Clementi that sold a cup of kopi-o for $1.10, but when I went back after about two or three weeks, the price had increased to $1.40. I have to buy it, even though it’s expensive, because I need it.”
Ms Jackie Wong, 70, a retired clerk, said that she will turn to cheaper alternatives to a prawn mee stall she frequents if the price of the dish – which has gone up from $4 to $5 in the past two years – increases too much. But she is willing to pay more for higher-quality food and drinks, such as coffee from a stall called Kopi More at Golden Mile Food Centre.
“The first time I came here, it was only $1.80, but it slowly increased to $2.50 as of late,” she said.
“Kopi More coffee is made by the cup (not in bulk) and has better coffee beans than others. Nowadays, coffee already costs $1.50 to $1.60; I find it worth it to top up for a tastier cup of coffee.”

 

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Forum: Rising prices of hawker food​

MAY 28, 2024

I was surprised to read that a Singapore Department of Statistics study found that hawker food prices rose by only 6.1 per cent in 2023, as I believe the prices were understated (Hawker food prices rose by 6.1% in 2023, but cost pressures easing, May 26).

Consumers are aware that the price of hawker food, especially in 2023, rose by at least 50 cents to a dollar, amounting to an increase of at least 20 per cent.
Moreover, the food operators try to cut corners by reducing the quantity of food served, hoping that the customers will order a bigger plate and pay more.

The survey should look not only at the prices but also the quality of the food served.

We do not mind paying more for our food provided we get value for money.

Even after the price increase, it seems that there are fewer prawns in a plate of Hokkien mee and the quality of fishballs in a bowl of noodles has dropped.
Even the price of takeaway food containers has increased from 20 cents to 30 cents.

When consumers bring their own containers, the stallholders show their displeasure by asking the consumers to take off the lids and put back the lids themselves.

Harry Ong Heng Poh

 

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[Poll] Majority of Singaporeans Say The PAP Handled Inflation 'Badly'!​

More than half of Singaporeans think the government is handling inflation “badly,” according to a new poll, highlighting challenges facing the country’s leaders as the nation undergoes a political transition.

About 55% of respondents in the mid-May survey conducted by pollster Blackbox Research Pte. said the government was handling everyday price rises “badly.” Almost 20% said it was tackled “very badly,” while 36% felt it was dealt with “quite badly.” At the same time, 37% said the government was performing “quite well” and 7% said “very well.”

More than nine in 10 Singaporeans said inflation has affected their lives, with 37% indicating a “significant” impact, according to the poll based on interviews with 758 people aged 20 and above. It has a margin of error of 3%.

That sentiment is an indication of the challenges finance minister and prime minister in-waiting Lawrence Wong faces in convincing voters that the ruling People’s Action Party is doing enough to tackle sharp price rises. Many governments and central banks are acting in tandem to shield their citizens from the cost-of-living crisis sweeping the world.

“A perfect storm has emerged post-pandemic that will test the Singaporean government over the next 12 months as it not only seeks to bring about a speedy recovery but also bed in new political leadership,” said David Black, the founder and chief executive officer of Blackbox.

Singapore’s cost pressures have been persistent this year, prompting the central bank to tighten monetary policy and revise expectations for price-growth that could crimp the broader post-Covid growth recovery. While officials are hopeful that nominal wage growth will outpace inflation this year, economists see prices remaining elevated in the city-state through 2023.

Global inflation, exacerbated by supply-side pressures caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has filtered through to consumers worldwide, even as early signs of inflation peaking appear.

In an indication of the risks facing the city-state’s economic recovery as it emerges from strict Covid restrictions, respondents said they have cut back on their spending due to inflation, with nearly nine in 10 spending less on clothing, restaurants, and entertainment at cinemas and theaters.

Wong has committed to help residents to cope with consumption tax increases set to kick in initially next year in his maiden budget delivered in February.

About 57% of low-income respondents -- earning below S$2,500 ($1,800) a month -- said the government was doing badly, while 59% of medium-low income households, earning S$,2500 to S$6,600, felt the same, the survey showed.

Other key points from the poll include:

• Singaporeans are feeling the most inflation pain in petrol prices (35%), followed by utility prices (34%), and at supermarkets (28%)

• 66% of Singaporeans say they feel negatively about rising public housing prices

• Only 44% believe that they will be economically better off this year than 2021

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/majority-of-singaporeans-say-inflation-handled-badly-poll

 

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Forum: Instil greater road discipline with clearer rules and less tolerance of accidents​

MAY 30, 2024

Most residents in Singapore will agree that, compared with many other countries, our traffic system dangerously lacks discipline.
I think this is due to our misplaced tolerance and acceptance of minor accidents, a lack of rigour in traffic management, and a lack of enforcement.
Currently, traffic accidents that do not involve injury, hit-and-run and certain other criteria do not involve the Traffic Police.
Yet, these minor accidents often have similar root causes as major ones and often differ only in the particular circumstances. A habitually careless driver will go unnoticed by the law until he causes a major accident.
It is also common knowledge that drivers who cause minor accidents can escape or delay civil penalties by simply not reporting an accident, as reporting is not a statutory requirement.
Perhaps it is time to revert to the previous system where the Traffic Police were involved in all traffic accidents, minor or major.
Careless driving needs to be penalised, even for minor accidents, precisely so that it does not result in a death or injury under different circumstances.

Greater rigour is also needed in the traffic management system. Ambiguous signs such as “Slow” and “Reduce speed now” should be replaced with those with specific speed limits, which should be enforced as absolute limits. A speed limit sign must be accompanied by another indicating its end. “Stop” should be distinguished from “Give way”. Motorcyclists should not be allowed to straddle two lanes. Stop lines should not be crossed at traffic junctions.
More enforcement is also needed. Most residents who travel abroad will agree with me that they are more likely to get a traffic fine in many other countries than in Singapore.
Instilling greater discipline entails making the rules clearer, expecting compliance, and not tolerating any accident. Reverting to the previous policy of making all traffic accidents reportable to the Traffic Police will be a good start.

Ang Peng Seng