It's the end of the year. "Spare a thought for 60,000 jobless in climate of job growth," reported The Straits Times newspaper in Singapore yesterday.
It was referring to the latest government statistics which showed a record number of jobs created this year -- "the economy added 124,500 workers" in the first nine months of the year, said the Ministry of Manpower report -- but 60,700 people were still unemployed. They made up less than 2.5 per cent of the total workforce.
How did we arrive at this figure? Simple. The working population totalled more than 2.4 million including 1.6 million in the service sector and more than 500,000 in manufacturing, according to the Ministry of Manpower. If one includes the number of jobless people, then Singapore had an available workforce of just over 2.5 million. Now, 60,700 out of 2.5 million comes to less than 2.5 per cent.
That's low by any standards. The report said three out of four people were re-employed within six months. But some had it better than others. Among the older workers, for example, the better educated found it more difficult to get new jobs than the less educated. The report said:
"The re-employment rate for older degree holders aged 50 and over improved strongly to 74% in September 2006... However, it remained below the rate for those with secondary (81%), upper secondary (79%) and diploma (91%) qualifications in the same age group."
So a university degree can be a handicap if, after the age of 50, one has to look for a job in Singapore.
By the way, the workforce includes adolescents as young as 15 years old, according to the government report.
For the total picture, download the reports Labour Market, Third Quarter 2006 and Employment, Third Quarter 2006, from the Ministry of Manpower website.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Death of a dictator
So Saddam Hussein is dead, hanged by his own countrymen. The scenes of rejoicing among the Shias, in Basra and Baghdad, could not have been faked. It was an Iraqi court that found him guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death.
But I do wish the Americans had not been involved. For that is how it will be remembered -- a tyrant hanged in a country protected by foreign powers. Iraq may have a popularly elected government and its own judiciary and security forces, but training those security forces, trying to maintain law and order are American and British troops who continue to fight terrorists and insurgents. No Iraqi court could have sentenced Saddam to death unless US-led forces had invaded the country and hunted him down.
President George W Bush said bringing Saddam Hussein to justice marked an important milestone in Iraq's progress to democracy. He should ask himself instead what has it achieved for America. More Americans have died in Iraq than the 2,973 killed in the 9/11 tragedy and Iraqis are no safer today than under Saddam Hussein.
But I do wish the Americans had not been involved. For that is how it will be remembered -- a tyrant hanged in a country protected by foreign powers. Iraq may have a popularly elected government and its own judiciary and security forces, but training those security forces, trying to maintain law and order are American and British troops who continue to fight terrorists and insurgents. No Iraqi court could have sentenced Saddam to death unless US-led forces had invaded the country and hunted him down.
President George W Bush said bringing Saddam Hussein to justice marked an important milestone in Iraq's progress to democracy. He should ask himself instead what has it achieved for America. More Americans have died in Iraq than the 2,973 killed in the 9/11 tragedy and Iraqis are no safer today than under Saddam Hussein.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Global Crossing and the undersea cables
News junkies may remember it for an accounting scandal. But we in Asia also owe a debt of gratitude to a company like Global Crossing. I, for example, might not have been able to access the New York Times online or post this blog, maintained on a server in the USA, unless someone had gone to the expense and trouble of wiring up the world. And leading the way were Americans, companies like Global Crossing.
I can't recall that being mentioned in The Straits Times newspaper here in Singapore when two days ago Internet traffic virtually ground to a halt across much of Asia-Pacific after tremors off the coast of Taiwan damaged the undersea cables. The report mentioned Asian telecommunications companies among the cable owners. That's true today. But at least some of the cables were laid by the Americans.
On a hunch, I looked up the history of Global Crossing on Wikipedia. And, sure enough, it said:
"In January, 2002, the company (Global Crossing) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the same time, a letter of intent was filed by Global Crossing to sell control of the company, seventy-nine percent, to a joint venture between Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa and Singapore Technologies Telemedia. Global Crossing's bankruptcy filing listed total assets of $22.4 billion and debts amounting to $12.4 billion. If ranked by assets, Global Crossing's bankruptcy is the fourth largest filing in American history... Hutchison Whampoa and Singapore Technologies purchased Global Crossing for $750 million, buying it out of bankruptcy."
Companies like Global Crossing and MCI WorldCom suffered because they could not recoup the expense of laying the cables as there was not sufficient demand for them at the time.
Business Week reported: "There are about 15 of these cables. Most of the high-capacity ones were installed in 2001, when companies raced to capitalize on what they thought was an imminent surge in demand for Internet traffic. But demand grew slower than expected, and the building boom ended badly for investors in companies like Global Crossing and MCI."
What turned out badly for companies like Global Crossing proved a boon for Asian telcos. They picked up the pieces cheap. And it must have proved a lucrative investment with surging Internet traffic.
Now there will be a price to pay. Besides repairing the damage, there's also a need to lay more cables. And who will pick up the tab? There may be no free lunch even in the virtual world. Telcos have Internet users by the short hairs. We can't do without the Net.
It's true Internet service providers had been cutting prices with increasing competion. But the tremors off Taiwan which hit Internet traffic and spooked stock markets may have unfortunate ripple effects. Let's hope they don't hit our wallets.
Global Crossing today
Singapore Technologies Telemedia (ST Telemedia) now lists Global Crossing among its companies. ST Telemedia, which also owns the Singapore Internet service provider StarHub, describes Global Crossing as "the owner and operator of the world’s first integrated global IP-based network, which connects over 300 major cities in 29 countries worldwide, and delivers services to over 600 cities in 60 countries and six continents".
Who's behind which cable?
The New York Times reported: "C2C, a $2 billion 10,500-mile cable built in 2002 that links China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan to the United States, was damaged'' by the tremors. This was built by a consortium led by Singapore Telecom or SingTel, reported Reuters.
"The only major cable in the area that appears to have escaped trouble was the E.A.C., or East Asia Crossing, cable belonging to Asia Netcom, a subsidiary of China Netcom," added the New York Times. "The 12,100-mile cable connects China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan." Among those involved in the project was Asia Global Crossing, a joint venture which included Global Crossing, Microsoft and Softbank Corp, websites reported in the year 2000.
I can't recall that being mentioned in The Straits Times newspaper here in Singapore when two days ago Internet traffic virtually ground to a halt across much of Asia-Pacific after tremors off the coast of Taiwan damaged the undersea cables. The report mentioned Asian telecommunications companies among the cable owners. That's true today. But at least some of the cables were laid by the Americans.
On a hunch, I looked up the history of Global Crossing on Wikipedia. And, sure enough, it said:
"In January, 2002, the company (Global Crossing) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the same time, a letter of intent was filed by Global Crossing to sell control of the company, seventy-nine percent, to a joint venture between Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa and Singapore Technologies Telemedia. Global Crossing's bankruptcy filing listed total assets of $22.4 billion and debts amounting to $12.4 billion. If ranked by assets, Global Crossing's bankruptcy is the fourth largest filing in American history... Hutchison Whampoa and Singapore Technologies purchased Global Crossing for $750 million, buying it out of bankruptcy."
Companies like Global Crossing and MCI WorldCom suffered because they could not recoup the expense of laying the cables as there was not sufficient demand for them at the time.
Business Week reported: "There are about 15 of these cables. Most of the high-capacity ones were installed in 2001, when companies raced to capitalize on what they thought was an imminent surge in demand for Internet traffic. But demand grew slower than expected, and the building boom ended badly for investors in companies like Global Crossing and MCI."
What turned out badly for companies like Global Crossing proved a boon for Asian telcos. They picked up the pieces cheap. And it must have proved a lucrative investment with surging Internet traffic.
Now there will be a price to pay. Besides repairing the damage, there's also a need to lay more cables. And who will pick up the tab? There may be no free lunch even in the virtual world. Telcos have Internet users by the short hairs. We can't do without the Net.
It's true Internet service providers had been cutting prices with increasing competion. But the tremors off Taiwan which hit Internet traffic and spooked stock markets may have unfortunate ripple effects. Let's hope they don't hit our wallets.
Global Crossing today
Singapore Technologies Telemedia (ST Telemedia) now lists Global Crossing among its companies. ST Telemedia, which also owns the Singapore Internet service provider StarHub, describes Global Crossing as "the owner and operator of the world’s first integrated global IP-based network, which connects over 300 major cities in 29 countries worldwide, and delivers services to over 600 cities in 60 countries and six continents".
Who's behind which cable?
The New York Times reported: "C2C, a $2 billion 10,500-mile cable built in 2002 that links China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan to the United States, was damaged'' by the tremors. This was built by a consortium led by Singapore Telecom or SingTel, reported Reuters.
"The only major cable in the area that appears to have escaped trouble was the E.A.C., or East Asia Crossing, cable belonging to Asia Netcom, a subsidiary of China Netcom," added the New York Times. "The 12,100-mile cable connects China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan." Among those involved in the project was Asia Global Crossing, a joint venture which included Global Crossing, Microsoft and Softbank Corp, websites reported in the year 2000.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Missing my wife and my son on Christmas Day
I called my wife and my son in Calcutta (Kolkata) when the clock struck midnight there to wish them a merry Christmas. Just because we are Hindus doesn't mean we don't like to spend Christmas and New Year together. That wasn't possible this year, I am still in Singapore. But they are constantly in my thoughts. I can see them on my computer screensaver.
I see pictures of my son as a schoolboy and more recent photos of him wearing a tux on some big occasion at his college in America -- and pictures where he is swaddled against the snow, taken last winter on his college campus.
There are also pictures of my wife as she is now and taken long ago, shortly after our marriage. She looks heartbreakingly beautiful. Her eyes are so innocent and trusting. Otherwise she would have never married me, for I wasn't rich or bright or highly qualified. I don't know what she saw in me but we fell in love and our parents realised there was no point standing in the way.
Somehow I did end up working in Singapore. But she is still teaching at a college in Calcutta. I never found the courage to ask her to leave her job and come to Singapore: I was always haunted by insecurity at my job.
My misgivings proved right when I had to accept voluntary retirement a few months ago. I must have been found wanting, not worth my salt. Someone nevertheless was kind enough to give me a second chance. But the pay is less and I am still on trial. That's why I couldn't go to Calcutta for Christmas. Nor could my family come here. My son, who arrived in Calcutta from his college in America on Wednesday, had no time to get a visa here.
My son was offered a place at a university in Singapore when he finished school in Calcutta two years ago. But he was also offered scholarships in America. One reason I didn't encourage him to come to Singapore was that I was already worried about my job. He would have been on his own if I had to leave Singapore, I thought, so why ask him to come to Singapore when several of his schoolmates were going to America?
So here I am alone in Singapore on Christmas Day, thinking of my wife and my son, seeing their pictures on the computer, and about to call home. I will speak to them as soon as I finish this post. I called them twice yesterday and once after midnight. Now I want to hear their voices again.
Meanwhile, to anyone who stumbles on my blog, merry Christmas.
I see pictures of my son as a schoolboy and more recent photos of him wearing a tux on some big occasion at his college in America -- and pictures where he is swaddled against the snow, taken last winter on his college campus.
There are also pictures of my wife as she is now and taken long ago, shortly after our marriage. She looks heartbreakingly beautiful. Her eyes are so innocent and trusting. Otherwise she would have never married me, for I wasn't rich or bright or highly qualified. I don't know what she saw in me but we fell in love and our parents realised there was no point standing in the way.
Somehow I did end up working in Singapore. But she is still teaching at a college in Calcutta. I never found the courage to ask her to leave her job and come to Singapore: I was always haunted by insecurity at my job.
My misgivings proved right when I had to accept voluntary retirement a few months ago. I must have been found wanting, not worth my salt. Someone nevertheless was kind enough to give me a second chance. But the pay is less and I am still on trial. That's why I couldn't go to Calcutta for Christmas. Nor could my family come here. My son, who arrived in Calcutta from his college in America on Wednesday, had no time to get a visa here.
My son was offered a place at a university in Singapore when he finished school in Calcutta two years ago. But he was also offered scholarships in America. One reason I didn't encourage him to come to Singapore was that I was already worried about my job. He would have been on his own if I had to leave Singapore, I thought, so why ask him to come to Singapore when several of his schoolmates were going to America?
So here I am alone in Singapore on Christmas Day, thinking of my wife and my son, seeing their pictures on the computer, and about to call home. I will speak to them as soon as I finish this post. I called them twice yesterday and once after midnight. Now I want to hear their voices again.
Meanwhile, to anyone who stumbles on my blog, merry Christmas.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Unique-Lee in Singapore...
I just saw Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong being interviewed on CNN. Razor-sharp, with a Cambridge first class honours in mathematics, he had no trouble parrying the usual questions about his family's role in Singapore politics and economy and the lack of government criticism in the local media. The interviewer, Anjali Rao, came off second best when she raised the media issue. "What do you want to say that you dare not say?" he asked her. "Absolutely nothing," she replied. "There you are," he replied with a laugh. "So how are you stifled?" Cool.
Still, the usual question about Mr Lee following in his father's footsteps to become prime minister brought to mind an unusual feature of the Singapore cabinet. Mr Lee is not only following in his father's footsteps; they are members of the same cabinet. That is unusual. Mr Lee's father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, is still in office, as Minister Mentor.
I have been trying to find parallels elsewhere in the world. Robert Kennedy was attorney general in his brother John F Kennedy's administration. Austen Chamberlain became Britain's postmaster general while his father, Joseph Chamberlain, was Colonial Secretary in 1902. "Old Joe" never became prime minister but his younger son, Neville Chamberlain, did in 1937 -- only to resign three years later when Churchill succeeded him after the failure of his appeasement policy towards Hitler. Indira Gandhi's younger son, Sanjay Gandhi, became her closest adviser while she was India's prime minister. And when Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash, his elder brother, Rajiv Gandhi, took his place. When Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister after Indira Gandhi's assassination, he included friends and relatives in his cabinet.
But I can't think of another instance identical to the Lees, where the father is a member of his son's cabinet.
The closest parallel to be found today among non-communist parliamentary democracies, I think, must be in Poland. President Lech Kaczynski's identical twin, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is the prime minister. But they are brothers, not father and son.
Such instances of members of the same family sharing power are more common in the Middle East. There is the Saudi royal family and the al-Maktoums, the rulers of Dubai. But these are monarchies and sheikdoms with royal families. Singapore is different, with elected leaders.
Mr Lee is not only the prime minister; he is also the finance minister while his wife heads Singapore's biggest conglomerate of government-linked companies. But the concentration of power has not been bad for Singapore, which with a per capita GDP of more than $28,000 is Asia's second richest country, surpassed only by Japan. Political dynasties are not necessarily bad; they can be popular too. The Gandhis in India, the Bushes in America, enjoy considerable support, or they wouldn't have come to power. The Lees have already proved their mettle. Singapore has prospered under them just like Dubai under the al-Maktoums.
Still, the usual question about Mr Lee following in his father's footsteps to become prime minister brought to mind an unusual feature of the Singapore cabinet. Mr Lee is not only following in his father's footsteps; they are members of the same cabinet. That is unusual. Mr Lee's father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, is still in office, as Minister Mentor.
I have been trying to find parallels elsewhere in the world. Robert Kennedy was attorney general in his brother John F Kennedy's administration. Austen Chamberlain became Britain's postmaster general while his father, Joseph Chamberlain, was Colonial Secretary in 1902. "Old Joe" never became prime minister but his younger son, Neville Chamberlain, did in 1937 -- only to resign three years later when Churchill succeeded him after the failure of his appeasement policy towards Hitler. Indira Gandhi's younger son, Sanjay Gandhi, became her closest adviser while she was India's prime minister. And when Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash, his elder brother, Rajiv Gandhi, took his place. When Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister after Indira Gandhi's assassination, he included friends and relatives in his cabinet.
But I can't think of another instance identical to the Lees, where the father is a member of his son's cabinet.
The closest parallel to be found today among non-communist parliamentary democracies, I think, must be in Poland. President Lech Kaczynski's identical twin, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is the prime minister. But they are brothers, not father and son.
Such instances of members of the same family sharing power are more common in the Middle East. There is the Saudi royal family and the al-Maktoums, the rulers of Dubai. But these are monarchies and sheikdoms with royal families. Singapore is different, with elected leaders.
Mr Lee is not only the prime minister; he is also the finance minister while his wife heads Singapore's biggest conglomerate of government-linked companies. But the concentration of power has not been bad for Singapore, which with a per capita GDP of more than $28,000 is Asia's second richest country, surpassed only by Japan. Political dynasties are not necessarily bad; they can be popular too. The Gandhis in India, the Bushes in America, enjoy considerable support, or they wouldn't have come to power. The Lees have already proved their mettle. Singapore has prospered under them just like Dubai under the al-Maktoums.
Plaza Singapura, 3.10 pm, Christmas Eve
DSC01230-copy
Originally uploaded by rana2u.
From Novena MRT station below the Novena Square shopping mall, I took a train to Dhoby Ghaut, the third and last station on Orchard Road. And there finally it did feel like Christmas as I walked into the Plaza Singapura shopping mall. The Sunday Times today reported: "Bumper sales as shoppers pack malls". This mall was packed all right and bright with Christmas decorations.
But I didn't feel like visiting any other Orchard Road mall. It was raining. And Christmas isn't Christmas when I am alone. I took the train back home from Dhoby Ghaut and called my wife in Calcutta (Kolkata). I also spoke to my son, who has flown home from his college in America to spend his Christmas holidays with her. We used to spend Christmas and New Year together, but we couldn't last year. And this year too it's the same sad story.
Novena Square, 2.40 pm, Christmas Eve
DSC01212-copy
Originally uploaded by rana2u.
I mentioned the almost total absence of Christmas decorations at a non-downtown shopping mall yesterday. It didn't look like Christmas either at Novena Square, the shopping mall near Novena church just a five-minute train ride away from the Orchard Road shopping district. The Sunday Times today reported: "Bumper sales as shoppers pack malls." But there were no crowds at this shopping mall this afternoon, maybe because of the rain. Nor was the crowd significantly bigger than usual on a Saturday at the mall I visited yesterday. Most of the shoppers must have flocked to Orchard Road.
The crib at Novena church
DSC01207-copy
Originally uploaded by rana2u.
It was raining when I visited Novena church this afternoon. Maybe that's why there were few people there.
Hardly Christmas at a heartlands mall
I was surprised to see only one Christmas tree at a shopping mall. It's in what Singapore calls the heartlands -- where ordinary people live, away from the shopping district and the posh areas. But it's next to a subway station and a bus interchange, visited by countless people, and usually does spruce up for Christmas. Yesterday evening, however, I saw nothing special, just the usual signs and lights the shops and department stores display round the year. There was the weekend crowd, but except for the sole Christmas tree at an NTUC FairPrice supermarket and the piped Christmas jingles, one wouldn't have known this is the festive season. The austerity seemed strange considering the economy is reported to be booming and unemployment below 3 per cent.
I am sure the shopping district and tourist trap that's Orchard Road is bright with lights. It's always at its glitzy best at Christmas. This is its peak business season. Christmas in Singapore is as much about luring shoppers and tourists as about merrymaking and festivities. The tourism board tries its best to lure tourists during Christmas and the New Year. The row of festive lights downtown is said to stretch even longer than usual.
I would have gone to Orchard Road to see the lights myself if my family had been here. But my wife is in Calcutta (Kolkata) with my son, who flew in on Wednesday from his college in America to spend his winter holidays with her. Alone, I didn't feel like going to town. Instead, I spoke to my wife and my son on the phone.
But I did expect to see some Christmas decorations at the heartlands mall. It's not as if no one's in a mood to celebrate. The train I caught home from work on Friday night was packed with shoppers and people who had been downtown to see the lights.
I hope to go to Orchard Road later today to see things for myself. But even if it flaunts its usual Christmas glitter, something must be wrong indeed when there's hardly any Christmas decoration at a heartlands mall which usually does dress up for the festive season. Has it given up trying because no matter what the papers say, the effort isn't worth it -- not attracting enough business even when the economy is reported to be booming?
I am sure the shopping district and tourist trap that's Orchard Road is bright with lights. It's always at its glitzy best at Christmas. This is its peak business season. Christmas in Singapore is as much about luring shoppers and tourists as about merrymaking and festivities. The tourism board tries its best to lure tourists during Christmas and the New Year. The row of festive lights downtown is said to stretch even longer than usual.
I would have gone to Orchard Road to see the lights myself if my family had been here. But my wife is in Calcutta (Kolkata) with my son, who flew in on Wednesday from his college in America to spend his winter holidays with her. Alone, I didn't feel like going to town. Instead, I spoke to my wife and my son on the phone.
But I did expect to see some Christmas decorations at the heartlands mall. It's not as if no one's in a mood to celebrate. The train I caught home from work on Friday night was packed with shoppers and people who had been downtown to see the lights.
I hope to go to Orchard Road later today to see things for myself. But even if it flaunts its usual Christmas glitter, something must be wrong indeed when there's hardly any Christmas decoration at a heartlands mall which usually does dress up for the festive season. Has it given up trying because no matter what the papers say, the effort isn't worth it -- not attracting enough business even when the economy is reported to be booming?
Friday, December 22, 2006
Where Singapore lags behind India, USA
Communist China ranks way below capitalist USA when it comes to distribution of wealth. China ranks 92nd and the USA 73rd, acccording to the UN Human Development Report 2006. It says China has a Gini index of 44.7 and the USA 40.8. Russia ranks 68th with a Gini index of 39.9. The Gini index is a measure of social and economic inequality, the higher the figure, the greater the inequality.
I wonder what the communists in power in Calcutta (Kolkata) will have to say to that. There is less economic inequality in India, which ranks 29th in the world with a Gini index of 32.5, according to the report. Bangladesh is 28th with 31.8 and Pakistan 24th with 30.5.
The rankings mentioned so far should not be taken to mean that the poorer the country, the less the inequality. Far from it. While oil-rich Azerbaijan takes the top spot, or shows the least economic inequality, with a Gini index of 19, Denmark ranks second with 24.7, Japan third with 24.9, Sweden fourth with 25. They are all rich countries. The Czech Republic is fifth, Norway sixth, Germany 14th, Netherlands 25th, South Korea 27th, Canada 30th, France 32nd, Switzerland 37th, Ireland and Greece joint 40th, Spain 47th, Australia 48th, Italy and Britain joint 51st and New Zealand 54th.
I looked at the report to find out how equitable is Singapore. The tiny city state with a population of about 4.5 million is the second richest country in Asia, after Japan, with a per capita GDP of $28,077. But the Singapore government concerned about poor Singaporeans has decided to raise the Goods and Services Tax -- sales tax -- from 5 per cent to 7 per cent, partly to help them. But how big is the income gap in Singapore? Very big, according to the UN report.
Singapore ranks 8oth with a Gini index of 42.5, behind Burundi (41st), and tying with Kenya which shows the same inequality, out of the 126 countries surveyed. Namibia ranks last.
Neighbouring Malaysia trails behind Singapore, taking the 98th spot with a Gini index of 49.2, but Indonesia is far ahead, sharing the 40th place with Ireland, with a Gini index of 34.3. Thailand is ahead as well, in 77th place with a Gini index of 42, but Hong Kong is behind, coming 85th with a Gini index of 43.4.
The Singapore government is well aware of the economic disparity in the country.
"Yes, the Gini coefficient is very high. Through housing, health care and education, we have tried to narrow the income gap, but not through wages," National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told Reuters in an interview last month, said a Reuters report published on the CNN website three days ago.
Despite the economic disparity, Singapore ranks very high on the Human Development Index, which takes into account life expectancy, literacy and the GDP. Singapore is ranked 25th in the UN report with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.916. The only Asian countries ahead of it are Japan in the seventh spot with an HDI of 0.949, Hong Kong which ranks 22nd with 0.929 and Israel which ties with Hong Kong.South Korea is 26th with 0.912.
The rankings have appeared in Wikipedia but one could also look at the country factsheet for Singapore on the UNDP website. One should also read the Reuters report on Singapore. It's an objective look at the country.
I wonder what the communists in power in Calcutta (Kolkata) will have to say to that. There is less economic inequality in India, which ranks 29th in the world with a Gini index of 32.5, according to the report. Bangladesh is 28th with 31.8 and Pakistan 24th with 30.5.
The rankings mentioned so far should not be taken to mean that the poorer the country, the less the inequality. Far from it. While oil-rich Azerbaijan takes the top spot, or shows the least economic inequality, with a Gini index of 19, Denmark ranks second with 24.7, Japan third with 24.9, Sweden fourth with 25. They are all rich countries. The Czech Republic is fifth, Norway sixth, Germany 14th, Netherlands 25th, South Korea 27th, Canada 30th, France 32nd, Switzerland 37th, Ireland and Greece joint 40th, Spain 47th, Australia 48th, Italy and Britain joint 51st and New Zealand 54th.
I looked at the report to find out how equitable is Singapore. The tiny city state with a population of about 4.5 million is the second richest country in Asia, after Japan, with a per capita GDP of $28,077. But the Singapore government concerned about poor Singaporeans has decided to raise the Goods and Services Tax -- sales tax -- from 5 per cent to 7 per cent, partly to help them. But how big is the income gap in Singapore? Very big, according to the UN report.
Singapore ranks 8oth with a Gini index of 42.5, behind Burundi (41st), and tying with Kenya which shows the same inequality, out of the 126 countries surveyed. Namibia ranks last.
Neighbouring Malaysia trails behind Singapore, taking the 98th spot with a Gini index of 49.2, but Indonesia is far ahead, sharing the 40th place with Ireland, with a Gini index of 34.3. Thailand is ahead as well, in 77th place with a Gini index of 42, but Hong Kong is behind, coming 85th with a Gini index of 43.4.
The Singapore government is well aware of the economic disparity in the country.
"Yes, the Gini coefficient is very high. Through housing, health care and education, we have tried to narrow the income gap, but not through wages," National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told Reuters in an interview last month, said a Reuters report published on the CNN website three days ago.
Despite the economic disparity, Singapore ranks very high on the Human Development Index, which takes into account life expectancy, literacy and the GDP. Singapore is ranked 25th in the UN report with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.916. The only Asian countries ahead of it are Japan in the seventh spot with an HDI of 0.949, Hong Kong which ranks 22nd with 0.929 and Israel which ties with Hong Kong.South Korea is 26th with 0.912.
The rankings have appeared in Wikipedia but one could also look at the country factsheet for Singapore on the UNDP website. One should also read the Reuters report on Singapore. It's an objective look at the country.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
My son flies home
My son flew home to Calcutta (Kolkata) yesterday. He flew with British Airways. His college in America has closed for the winter holidays, so he will be home for a month. My wife was waiting with her sister and niece and a friend to receive him at Dum Dum airport -- now called Netaji Subhas Bose airport -- when the plane landed about an hour after midnight.
He has grown very thin, she said. That seemed strange, considering he goes to the gym in his college. But he avoids fatty foods, he said. We were speaking on the phone, for I am still in Singapore.
My wife and I didn't have a wink of sleep on Monday night (our time) when he boarded his flight. A friend drove him to the airport nearest his college from where he took a flight to Chicago. It was Monday afternoon his time. I called him on his mobile phone at the airport. He had already checked in by then and was having a chocolate sundae after calling his mum. She had been worried because he had not called her before leaving college though he had promised to do so. That's why I called him at the airport. I called her first to find out if she had heard from him. She said no and asked me to call him. But by the time I got through, he had already called her.
I called him again when he landed at O'Hare airport in Chicago. He was then having a BLT at McDonald's. By then he had discovered his bank card wasn't in his wallet. He suspected he had left it at the bank where he had gone to get some money before flying home. So he called his bank from Chicago. They told him they had found his card and wanted to mail it to his college. But they agreed to keep it for him to collect when he returns to his college next month. The bank is only a short walk from his college. So he didn't sound worried at all when he spoke to me, having already called the bank. He said he would check in after finishing his meal.
We know it takes a long time to check in at O'Hare. The queues are very long. So I called again half an hour later to find out if he had cleared check-in. But, no, he was still in the queue. He had to stand in line for a little more than an hour before finally getting through.
From Chicago, he boarded a British Airways flight to London. He reached London on Tuesday morning. I tried calling him at the airport but only got his automated voice message. Later, I learnt he couldn't make or receive calls on his phone in London. He used a pay phone to call home from Heathrow. He spent three hours at Heathrow before boarding another British Airways flight to Calcutta. He had a good time there. He met an old school friend, now studying in another college in America, who was also flying home the same day. His friend was flying to Bombay (Mumbai), where his father had been transferred, on a different British Airways flight. My son and his friend spent time chatting while waiting for their flights. They chat online while in college and knew they were flying home the same day, so my son had been looking forward to meeting his friend at Heathrow.
The British Airways flight arrived in Calcutta after 1 am on Wednesday. But my son had to wait a long time to get his baggage. My wife later told me she got very worried waiting at the airport so long for him to show up. She wondered if his baggage had gone missing like it did the last time when he came to Calcutta by Gulf Air in May. His baggage arrived only the next day then. But it arrived safely with him this time. He was carrying his laptop and digital camera in his backpack and his iPod and mobile phone in his pockets.
He was wearing a red Manchester United jersey which attracted some comments at Heathrow, he said. Some people made disparaging remarks about Manchester United. They must be Chelsea or Arsenal fans, he said. But some of the cabin crew on the British Airways flight told him Manchester United was a great club. That must have pleased him no end.
He laughed about another little incident. On the flight from Chicago to London, the cabin crew gave out little bottles of liquor. Many of the Indians on board took them. Some took two or more and stuffed them in their pockets. But they had to take them out during check-in at Heathrow. The airport officers weren't allowing passengers to carry such bottles. They had to leave them on a counter. An Indian janitor at work happened to see them and quietly sneaked off with a few of the bottles.
He has grown very thin, she said. That seemed strange, considering he goes to the gym in his college. But he avoids fatty foods, he said. We were speaking on the phone, for I am still in Singapore.
My wife and I didn't have a wink of sleep on Monday night (our time) when he boarded his flight. A friend drove him to the airport nearest his college from where he took a flight to Chicago. It was Monday afternoon his time. I called him on his mobile phone at the airport. He had already checked in by then and was having a chocolate sundae after calling his mum. She had been worried because he had not called her before leaving college though he had promised to do so. That's why I called him at the airport. I called her first to find out if she had heard from him. She said no and asked me to call him. But by the time I got through, he had already called her.
I called him again when he landed at O'Hare airport in Chicago. He was then having a BLT at McDonald's. By then he had discovered his bank card wasn't in his wallet. He suspected he had left it at the bank where he had gone to get some money before flying home. So he called his bank from Chicago. They told him they had found his card and wanted to mail it to his college. But they agreed to keep it for him to collect when he returns to his college next month. The bank is only a short walk from his college. So he didn't sound worried at all when he spoke to me, having already called the bank. He said he would check in after finishing his meal.
We know it takes a long time to check in at O'Hare. The queues are very long. So I called again half an hour later to find out if he had cleared check-in. But, no, he was still in the queue. He had to stand in line for a little more than an hour before finally getting through.
From Chicago, he boarded a British Airways flight to London. He reached London on Tuesday morning. I tried calling him at the airport but only got his automated voice message. Later, I learnt he couldn't make or receive calls on his phone in London. He used a pay phone to call home from Heathrow. He spent three hours at Heathrow before boarding another British Airways flight to Calcutta. He had a good time there. He met an old school friend, now studying in another college in America, who was also flying home the same day. His friend was flying to Bombay (Mumbai), where his father had been transferred, on a different British Airways flight. My son and his friend spent time chatting while waiting for their flights. They chat online while in college and knew they were flying home the same day, so my son had been looking forward to meeting his friend at Heathrow.
The British Airways flight arrived in Calcutta after 1 am on Wednesday. But my son had to wait a long time to get his baggage. My wife later told me she got very worried waiting at the airport so long for him to show up. She wondered if his baggage had gone missing like it did the last time when he came to Calcutta by Gulf Air in May. His baggage arrived only the next day then. But it arrived safely with him this time. He was carrying his laptop and digital camera in his backpack and his iPod and mobile phone in his pockets.
He was wearing a red Manchester United jersey which attracted some comments at Heathrow, he said. Some people made disparaging remarks about Manchester United. They must be Chelsea or Arsenal fans, he said. But some of the cabin crew on the British Airways flight told him Manchester United was a great club. That must have pleased him no end.
He laughed about another little incident. On the flight from Chicago to London, the cabin crew gave out little bottles of liquor. Many of the Indians on board took them. Some took two or more and stuffed them in their pockets. But they had to take them out during check-in at Heathrow. The airport officers weren't allowing passengers to carry such bottles. They had to leave them on a counter. An Indian janitor at work happened to see them and quietly sneaked off with a few of the bottles.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Singapore today, 7.30 am
Picture2-155-(Large)-copy
Originally uploaded by rana2u.
There was a glint of light dispelling the inky darkness that had enveloped the area only 15 minutes earlier. But the rain continued. It's raining even harder now. I just heard the rumble of thunder.
Singapore today, 7.10 am
Picture2-148-(Large)-copy
Originally uploaded by rana2u.
It was this dark this morning. We had a stormy night with frequent thunder and lightning and the rain was still pelting down in the morning. The weather has been skittish of late, with frequent passing showers, but it hasn't rained like this for a long time.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Jejune
Much of the early Beach Boys' songs are about high school and teenagers. Some of them are quite funny, but they aren't as naughty and knowing as Chuck Berry's celebrations of teenage life. The Beach Boys' Fun, Fun, Fun, for example, is as infectious and more filled with harmony than anything composed by Chuck Berry, but the lyrics aren't in the same league as a Chuck Berry classic like Nadine. In fact, I was about to describe the early Beach Boys' lyrics as "jejune". Not "childish" or "juvenile" but something "adolescent".
Adolescent they are but they can't be called "jejune". Though "jejune" is lumped together with "juvenile" and "puerile" in the thesaurus, there is a difference according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. According to it, "jejune" means "naive and simplistic" and can also mean "dull". The Beach Boys are by no means dull. But that's what "jejune" means according to the COED. It says the word comes from the Latin "jejunus", which means "fasting, barren".
I am surprised that a word derived from the Latin for "barren" became a synonym for "juvenile". The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary categorically says "jejune" means "juvenile" and "puerile". "Juvenile", "puerile", "infantile" all come from Latin words for children. But "jejune" originally had nothing to do with children. How did it come to be associated with "juvenile"?
Meanwhile, here's Chuck Berry performing Roll over Beethoven. I did find a clip of him performing Nadine with Keith Richard. But this is an all-time classic.
Adolescent they are but they can't be called "jejune". Though "jejune" is lumped together with "juvenile" and "puerile" in the thesaurus, there is a difference according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. According to it, "jejune" means "naive and simplistic" and can also mean "dull". The Beach Boys are by no means dull. But that's what "jejune" means according to the COED. It says the word comes from the Latin "jejunus", which means "fasting, barren".
I am surprised that a word derived from the Latin for "barren" became a synonym for "juvenile". The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary categorically says "jejune" means "juvenile" and "puerile". "Juvenile", "puerile", "infantile" all come from Latin words for children. But "jejune" originally had nothing to do with children. How did it come to be associated with "juvenile"?
Meanwhile, here's Chuck Berry performing Roll over Beethoven. I did find a clip of him performing Nadine with Keith Richard. But this is an all-time classic.
Sloop John B
The Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead are my favourite American rock groups. They may be very different but both are strong on guitars and harmony and both came out of the West Coast. This is my favourite Beach Boys song, Sloop John B, performed at a concert in England in 1980, long after their glory days in the early 1960s when they were the most successful American band with their "California sound". A very different California sound from that of the Eagles, whom I don't dig at all. The lyrics of the Beach Boys' early songs may be inconsequential, but the harmony is heavenly. Brian Wilson is a genius.
Touch of Grey
I love the Grateful Dead and this is one of my favourite songs. At my age, it resonates all the more, especially because of what's been happening in my life. I won't go into that now. Let's just look at the brighter side of life. "I will get by," sings Jerry Garcia, "I will survive." It's a great song.
I only wish I could find a video of my other favourite song by the Grateful Dead: Ripple. But no luck there. I couldn't find a video of Ripple. This is as good as it gets: the Grateful Dead performing Touch of Grey at a concert in 1993. Garcia died in 1995 at the age of 53.
I only wish I could find a video of my other favourite song by the Grateful Dead: Ripple. But no luck there. I couldn't find a video of Ripple. This is as good as it gets: the Grateful Dead performing Touch of Grey at a concert in 1993. Garcia died in 1995 at the age of 53.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Shakespeare mocked
I wish I had recorded my son's comments on Shakespeare's sonnets: "abab cdcd efef gg." He was referring to the rhyme scheme: Four stanzas of three quatrains and a final couplet set in the iambic pentameter. "The sonnets don't even have titles," he said, "just numbers."
He was making short work not just of the sonnets but of English poetry in general, possibly to annoy his mother, who was chatting online with us.
She teaches English at a college in Calcutta (Kolkata), and he is taking an English course because he has to at his liberal arts college in America. He is doing a double major in science, but on top of that he must take other courses too. He himself chose English. In fact, he writes quite well.
He has been doing scansion. That's something she loves. So she offered to give him a few tips online, but he was having none of it. "Our teacher has told us that 80 per cent of the time, English verses are iambic,'' he said. And he was counting on that to see him through. That's what he claimed. Actually, I have seen a paper he wrote on Tolkien, and I was so impressed. Whether he does it on his own, or whether his teachers make him do it, he has been doing serious work -- and not just on his favourite science subjects but for other courses too.
And he has become so independent. He didn't want his mother to help him even with his English. He had to read Oscar Wilde, he said. My wife immediately went gaga about Wilde's wit and humour. But he cut her short. "Where's the wit and humour in The Picture of Dorian Gray?" he asked. That was the first time we heard he had read Dorian Gray. They had to do it in class, he said. And we didn't know it until last night.
He was making short work not just of the sonnets but of English poetry in general, possibly to annoy his mother, who was chatting online with us.
She teaches English at a college in Calcutta (Kolkata), and he is taking an English course because he has to at his liberal arts college in America. He is doing a double major in science, but on top of that he must take other courses too. He himself chose English. In fact, he writes quite well.
He has been doing scansion. That's something she loves. So she offered to give him a few tips online, but he was having none of it. "Our teacher has told us that 80 per cent of the time, English verses are iambic,'' he said. And he was counting on that to see him through. That's what he claimed. Actually, I have seen a paper he wrote on Tolkien, and I was so impressed. Whether he does it on his own, or whether his teachers make him do it, he has been doing serious work -- and not just on his favourite science subjects but for other courses too.
And he has become so independent. He didn't want his mother to help him even with his English. He had to read Oscar Wilde, he said. My wife immediately went gaga about Wilde's wit and humour. But he cut her short. "Where's the wit and humour in The Picture of Dorian Gray?" he asked. That was the first time we heard he had read Dorian Gray. They had to do it in class, he said. And we didn't know it until last night.
Friday, December 08, 2006
John Lennon remembered
I was just reminded on the Net that John Lennon was shot dead on this day by Mark Chapman in New York in 1980. YouTube has several clips of how his death was reported.
I am a believer
This one's for my wife. Our song is If Not For You by Bob Dylan. But this one sets my feet tapping and I love the words. It's really true. We were so young when I fell in love with her and now we have a son in college! I am a believer all right just like the Monkees in this song. I came across this after blogging about Mary Queen of Scots whose birthday it is today, according to Answers. com. Writing about her reminded of Mary, Mary, sung by the Monkees. I found it on YouTube and used it in my previous post -- on Mary. Then, of course, I had to look for my favourite Monkees song. And here it is: I Am A Believer.
Mary, Mary
What a coincidence. Last night, my wife was telling me about a seminar at her college in Calcutta (Kolkata) on the poet, William Blake, where a university professor speaking about poems like "Tyger, Tyger" touched upon nursery rhymes. They were similar in their apparent simplicity hiding a wealth of meaning, he said. And one of the nursery rhymes he cited was "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?", which he said was believed to refer to Mary, Queen of Scots. I didn't know that, but we had other things to talk about, and after all we were talking long-distance -- she from Calcutta, I in Singapore. So, after hanging up the phone, I went to Answers.com. And, guess what, today is Mary's birthday.
She appears in Today's Highlights. Says Answers.com:
"Mary Stuart, aka Mary Queen of Scots, was born on this date in 1542. She was only six days old when her father, James V, died and she became Queen of Scotland. Mary, a Catholic, was accused of scheming to murder her husband and was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle in 1567. A year later, she escaped and fled to England. Elizabeth I initially provided refuge and then had Mary imprisoned when she was implicated in additional plotting, including a scheme to murder Elizabeth. Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587. When Elizabeth died, she was succeeded by Mary's son, James I of England."
Mary must have been laughing in her grave when the Virgin Queen was succeeded by her son. But her grandson, Charles I, was beheaded like her by the English -- oh perfidious Albion -- but his son, Charles II, returned to rule in 1660 after the regicide Oliver Cromwell's death. It must have been a bit like the swinging 1960s, marred by deadly crises such as the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, but sexually quite liberated in fashionable circles. Not for nothing was Charles II called the Merry Monarch.
But back to
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row."
The Wikipedia is sceptical about any royal connection to the nursery rhyme. It says:
"Like many nursery rhymes, it has acquired spurious historical explanations. One is that it refers to Mary I of Scotland, with "how does your garden grow" referring to how she was doing controlling the country, "silver bells" referring to (Catholic) cathedral bells, "cockleshells" in inference that her husband cheated on her, and "pretty maids all in a row" referring to all her babies that had died and that she buried them in rows. However, Mary Queen of Scots was accounted a great beauty. She was also not known for killing "rows and rows" of people, although her husband, Darnley, was mixed up in a murder, and her lover and third husband, Lord Bothwell, was thought to have arranged the murder of Darnley.
"Another is that it refers to Mary I of England and her unpopular attempts to bring Roman Catholicism back to England, identifying the "cockle shells," for example, with the symbol of pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James in Spain (Santiago de Compostela) and the "pretty maids all in a row" with nuns.
"These explanations range; it is generally thought to be about Mary I for roughly the same reasons as her Scottish counterpart, as her husband Phillip II of Spain was barely interested in her (hence the word "cockleshells"), the "How does your garden grow?" being a mockery of her womb (and her inability to produce heirs) or the idea many had taken that England had became a Catholic vassal or "branch" of Spain and the Habsburgs. "Quite contrary" seems to be a reference to the way she unsuccessfully tried to undo what her father Henry VIII and brother Edward VI had done with the church. The "pretty maids all in a row" could be another reference to her miscarriages as with the other Mary or her execution of Lady Jane Grey after coming to the throne. "Rows and rows" is attributed to her infamous burnings and executions of Protestants.
"Alternatively, capitalising on the queen's portrayal by Whig historians as 'Bloody Mary', the "silver bells and cockle shells" referred to in the nursery rhyme could be colloquialisms for instruments of torture. The 'silver bells' may refer to thumbscrews, while the 'cockleshells' are thought to have been instruments of torture which were attached to the genitals. Finally, 'maids' might be a reference to 'maidens' which were early guillotine-like devices used to sever heads."
"Still, some argue that no proof has been found that the rhyme was known before the eighteenth century, while Mary I of England and Mary I of Scotland (who were contemporaries) lived in the sixteenth century."
But even if the rhyme came about long after the two Marys, that doesn't it couldn't be about them. Think of all the historical romances or the films, Mary, Queen of Scots, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson, and Elizabeth, directed by the Indian Shekhar Kapur.
In fact, the Wikipedia article concludes:
"Some historians claim the song was invented by the Protestants and Anglicans any time during or long after to mock Mary I of England's unsuccessful reign, or even both Marys."
But if the rhyme is about Mary Queen of Scots or Mary I aka Bloody Mary, why should it be so cryptic if composed long after their death? They were dead, gone, not likely to imprison, pillory, burn or behead or whatever they did to their critics.
Who knows? Meanwhile, I am reminded of another Mary -- a Mary one can rock to, to the beat of the Monkees. So, here's a song I love -- Mary, Mary by the Monkees.
She appears in Today's Highlights. Says Answers.com:
"Mary Stuart, aka Mary Queen of Scots, was born on this date in 1542. She was only six days old when her father, James V, died and she became Queen of Scotland. Mary, a Catholic, was accused of scheming to murder her husband and was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle in 1567. A year later, she escaped and fled to England. Elizabeth I initially provided refuge and then had Mary imprisoned when she was implicated in additional plotting, including a scheme to murder Elizabeth. Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587. When Elizabeth died, she was succeeded by Mary's son, James I of England."
Mary must have been laughing in her grave when the Virgin Queen was succeeded by her son. But her grandson, Charles I, was beheaded like her by the English -- oh perfidious Albion -- but his son, Charles II, returned to rule in 1660 after the regicide Oliver Cromwell's death. It must have been a bit like the swinging 1960s, marred by deadly crises such as the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, but sexually quite liberated in fashionable circles. Not for nothing was Charles II called the Merry Monarch.
But back to
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row."
The Wikipedia is sceptical about any royal connection to the nursery rhyme. It says:
"Like many nursery rhymes, it has acquired spurious historical explanations. One is that it refers to Mary I of Scotland, with "how does your garden grow" referring to how she was doing controlling the country, "silver bells" referring to (Catholic) cathedral bells, "cockleshells" in inference that her husband cheated on her, and "pretty maids all in a row" referring to all her babies that had died and that she buried them in rows. However, Mary Queen of Scots was accounted a great beauty. She was also not known for killing "rows and rows" of people, although her husband, Darnley, was mixed up in a murder, and her lover and third husband, Lord Bothwell, was thought to have arranged the murder of Darnley.
"Another is that it refers to Mary I of England and her unpopular attempts to bring Roman Catholicism back to England, identifying the "cockle shells," for example, with the symbol of pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James in Spain (Santiago de Compostela) and the "pretty maids all in a row" with nuns.
"These explanations range; it is generally thought to be about Mary I for roughly the same reasons as her Scottish counterpart, as her husband Phillip II of Spain was barely interested in her (hence the word "cockleshells"), the "How does your garden grow?" being a mockery of her womb (and her inability to produce heirs) or the idea many had taken that England had became a Catholic vassal or "branch" of Spain and the Habsburgs. "Quite contrary" seems to be a reference to the way she unsuccessfully tried to undo what her father Henry VIII and brother Edward VI had done with the church. The "pretty maids all in a row" could be another reference to her miscarriages as with the other Mary or her execution of Lady Jane Grey after coming to the throne. "Rows and rows" is attributed to her infamous burnings and executions of Protestants.
"Alternatively, capitalising on the queen's portrayal by Whig historians as 'Bloody Mary', the "silver bells and cockle shells" referred to in the nursery rhyme could be colloquialisms for instruments of torture. The 'silver bells' may refer to thumbscrews, while the 'cockleshells' are thought to have been instruments of torture which were attached to the genitals. Finally, 'maids' might be a reference to 'maidens' which were early guillotine-like devices used to sever heads."
"Still, some argue that no proof has been found that the rhyme was known before the eighteenth century, while Mary I of England and Mary I of Scotland (who were contemporaries) lived in the sixteenth century."
But even if the rhyme came about long after the two Marys, that doesn't it couldn't be about them. Think of all the historical romances or the films, Mary, Queen of Scots, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson, and Elizabeth, directed by the Indian Shekhar Kapur.
In fact, the Wikipedia article concludes:
"Some historians claim the song was invented by the Protestants and Anglicans any time during or long after to mock Mary I of England's unsuccessful reign, or even both Marys."
But if the rhyme is about Mary Queen of Scots or Mary I aka Bloody Mary, why should it be so cryptic if composed long after their death? They were dead, gone, not likely to imprison, pillory, burn or behead or whatever they did to their critics.
Who knows? Meanwhile, I am reminded of another Mary -- a Mary one can rock to, to the beat of the Monkees. So, here's a song I love -- Mary, Mary by the Monkees.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Man U and my son
I am so glad Manchester United won their Champions League match against Benfica. My son must be awfully pleased. He must have followed the second half of the game on his computer after classes.
He was very disappointed when Man U lost to Benfica last year and failed to qualify for the playoffs. He told us last night he couldn't see that match last year because he had classes and wasn't going to miss out this time again. He sounded all keyed up as he chatted online with my wife in Calcutta (Kolkata) and me.
The English soccer clubs are hugely popular here in Singapore and now they can be watched on television in India too. That's how my son became a Man U fan, having seen them on television during his school days in Calcutta (Kolkata).
I am surprised he follows them religiously even now. In his college in America, he can't watch the English Premier League or the Champions League on television. So he follows the games on the Internet.
Having grown up in India, of course, his biggest love is cricket. He is a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and catches every webcast he can when his hero is in action. He may miss the rest of the Indian innings, but while Tendulkar is at the crease, he will be glued to the live commentary. He must have inherited his passion for sports from his Dadu (grandfather).
Now he follows American football too. He may not watch every baseball telecast but football, oh yes, he will. It's the most unpredictable of games, he said, and almost as complicated as chess. He even went to another college to cheer his college team. It was a big game, he said and went along with his friends.
Apparently, football is the biggest sport in his college. Surprisingly, they are not big on basketball. I thought the NBA was a big thing in America. Even Singapore newspapers cover the NBA, but my son doesn't care for it at all.
He was very disappointed when Man U lost to Benfica last year and failed to qualify for the playoffs. He told us last night he couldn't see that match last year because he had classes and wasn't going to miss out this time again. He sounded all keyed up as he chatted online with my wife in Calcutta (Kolkata) and me.
The English soccer clubs are hugely popular here in Singapore and now they can be watched on television in India too. That's how my son became a Man U fan, having seen them on television during his school days in Calcutta (Kolkata).
I am surprised he follows them religiously even now. In his college in America, he can't watch the English Premier League or the Champions League on television. So he follows the games on the Internet.
Having grown up in India, of course, his biggest love is cricket. He is a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and catches every webcast he can when his hero is in action. He may miss the rest of the Indian innings, but while Tendulkar is at the crease, he will be glued to the live commentary. He must have inherited his passion for sports from his Dadu (grandfather).
Now he follows American football too. He may not watch every baseball telecast but football, oh yes, he will. It's the most unpredictable of games, he said, and almost as complicated as chess. He even went to another college to cheer his college team. It was a big game, he said and went along with his friends.
Apparently, football is the biggest sport in his college. Surprisingly, they are not big on basketball. I thought the NBA was a big thing in America. Even Singapore newspapers cover the NBA, but my son doesn't care for it at all.
Revolution
Revolution was the B-side of one of the Beatles' greatest hits, Hey Jude, released in 1968. I love Hey Jude even more, but John Lennon really puts his heart into Revolution in this performance. Paul's also in great form. And look at Ringo grinning away! And George too!
Get back
I have been meaning to post this clip of the Beatles' rooftop concert at their Apple headquarters in London in January 1969 ever since I saw it on YouTube. It reminds me of my schooldays. A great song and a memorable performance, it's a flashback to a time when the world had not heard of yuppies, downsizing, rationalisation and all the corporate gobbledygook that have crept in since the 1980s. Actually, the first nail in the coffin was dug when the economist Milton Friedman won the Nobel prize in 1976. And then Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979 and Ronald Reagan entered the White House in 1981. And the world hasn't been the same again. Here's to the good old days. Get Back!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Singaporeans almost as rich as Americans and Japanese
The US, Britain and Japan are three of the world's richest countries. The US has a per capita wealth of $143,727, according to a United Nations survey based on data from the year 2000. But Singapore is not far behind with a personal per capita wealth of $113,631. In fact, Singapore ranked sixth among the 18 countries for which complete houshold balance sheets were available, right behind the Netherlands (fourth) with a per capita wealth of at $120,086 and Italy (fifth) with $119,704.
In comparison, Australia has a per capita wealth of $90,906, Canada, $89,252, China $11,267, Taiwan $100,009, Denmark $66,191, Finland $38,754, France $93,729, Germany $89,871, India $6,513, Indonesia $7,973, New Zealand $55,823, Poland $24,654, South Africa $16,266, Spain $92,253, Portugal $53,357 and the Czech Republic 32,431. (Not all these countries' complete houshold balance sheets were available.)
There is greater concentration of wealth in the US, home to 37 per cent of the world's richest individuals, than in Japan, which accounts for 27 per cent. I did not come across corresponding figures for Singapore. Still, the survey makes interesting reading.
According to the survey, the world's richest 2 per cent of the adults own more than half of all household wealth. Anyone who wants to see the complete survey can download the PDF file from the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research website.
In comparison, Australia has a per capita wealth of $90,906, Canada, $89,252, China $11,267, Taiwan $100,009, Denmark $66,191, Finland $38,754, France $93,729, Germany $89,871, India $6,513, Indonesia $7,973, New Zealand $55,823, Poland $24,654, South Africa $16,266, Spain $92,253, Portugal $53,357 and the Czech Republic 32,431. (Not all these countries' complete houshold balance sheets were available.)
There is greater concentration of wealth in the US, home to 37 per cent of the world's richest individuals, than in Japan, which accounts for 27 per cent. I did not come across corresponding figures for Singapore. Still, the survey makes interesting reading.
According to the survey, the world's richest 2 per cent of the adults own more than half of all household wealth. Anyone who wants to see the complete survey can download the PDF file from the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research website.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Citizens and permanent residents
Singapore's permanent residents will have to pay more for education and health care than the citizens of this tiny city state. Such discrimination may not be unjustified. Citizens should come first. And permanent residents have the option to become citizens too.
The government welcomes foreigners to make Singapore their home. It wants the population to grow from nearly 4.5 million now to six to seven million by 2030. The newspaper Today says: "This move could actually nudge some of them (permanent residents) into taking up Singapore citizenship." Yes, but not all.
Some may take time to make up their minds for two reasons.
One, Singapore does not allow dual citizenship -- unlike the USA, Britain or even India today. There may be permanent residents who have made Singapore their home, whose children speak and think like Singaporeans, but who still have property and other connections back in their home countries which they want to preserve.
And, secondly, though everyone speaks English in Singapore, where English is one of the four official languages, Singapore is, according to Wikipedia, "one of the largest Chinese cities outside China", with Chinese Singaporeans making up 76.8 per cent of the population. Jobs are easier to find for people who speak Chinese. That's only natural in a country with a large Chinese-speaking population where much of the trade is with Southeast Asia -- where ethnic Chinese play a key part in the economy -- and with China. And as the Chinese economy grows, so will the need for Chinese speakers. Unfortunately, Chinese is not an easy language to learn.
Singapore is a peaceful, prosperous, good place to live in with good government and excellent infrastructure. People who come here are likely to stay unless they get even better opportunities elsewhere or have to return home for various reasons. But one result of living under a government that thinks long term is an awareness that nothing is permanent. Situations change. Those who decide to settle here no doubt think long term too.
The government welcomes foreigners to make Singapore their home. It wants the population to grow from nearly 4.5 million now to six to seven million by 2030. The newspaper Today says: "This move could actually nudge some of them (permanent residents) into taking up Singapore citizenship." Yes, but not all.
Some may take time to make up their minds for two reasons.
One, Singapore does not allow dual citizenship -- unlike the USA, Britain or even India today. There may be permanent residents who have made Singapore their home, whose children speak and think like Singaporeans, but who still have property and other connections back in their home countries which they want to preserve.
And, secondly, though everyone speaks English in Singapore, where English is one of the four official languages, Singapore is, according to Wikipedia, "one of the largest Chinese cities outside China", with Chinese Singaporeans making up 76.8 per cent of the population. Jobs are easier to find for people who speak Chinese. That's only natural in a country with a large Chinese-speaking population where much of the trade is with Southeast Asia -- where ethnic Chinese play a key part in the economy -- and with China. And as the Chinese economy grows, so will the need for Chinese speakers. Unfortunately, Chinese is not an easy language to learn.
Singapore is a peaceful, prosperous, good place to live in with good government and excellent infrastructure. People who come here are likely to stay unless they get even better opportunities elsewhere or have to return home for various reasons. But one result of living under a government that thinks long term is an awareness that nothing is permanent. Situations change. Those who decide to settle here no doubt think long term too.
How does Bush compare with Carter?
Rumsfeld is gone. Now John Bolton is stepping down as US ambassador to the United Nations. With two years to go till the next presidential election, George W Bush is already beginning to look like a lame duck. The Democratic victory in the midterm elections has clipped his wings. No longer can he ignore the critics and keep his appointees in power.
By common consent, the most ineffective US presidents in the last 100 years must be Herbert Hoover and, no matter how good and well-meaning, Jimmy Carter. Is Bush about to join their ranks? Carter's failure was to project US power effectively. The same might be said of Bush. In fact, he has made a far bigger mess than Carter. The Iran hostage crisis pales in comparison with the Iraq war. It's nothing less than Bush's Vietnam. The only difference is Lyndon B Johnson inherited the Vietnam war from John F Kennedy; the Iraq war was Bush's own initiative.
He has not only failed to restore order in Iraq but exposed the limitations of US power. He has strained relations with European allies and is wasting manpower and resources in endless fighting in the Middle East when the USA is already heavily overburdened with debt. Meanwhile, China has made inroads in Latin America where leftist governments are coming to power. US influence is no longer unchallenged in Latin America. And it's all happening during Bush's watch.
I am not anti-Bush. He is a devout family man. He may genuinely want democracy in Iraq. And someone has to fight terrorism. It's also to his credit that he has reached out beyond the Western alliance to look for new partners and build closer links with countries like India.
But there's no denying the growing Chinese power, the situation in Latin America and the mess in Iraq.
It makes one wonder about Bush's place in history. He is not about to be forgotten like all those presidents who occupied the White House between the 1840s and the 1890s. With the exception of Abraham Lincoln, they are hardly talked about today. How often does one hear of John Tyler (1841-45), Millard Fillmore (1850-53), Franklin Pierce (1853-57), Andrew Johnson (1865-69) or Chester Allan Arthur (1881-85)? Bush will continue to be talked about and written about after he leaves the White House. But let's hope he won't be remembered for all the wrong reasons like Ulysses S Grant.
The terms of those little remembered presidents I got from Answers.com.
By common consent, the most ineffective US presidents in the last 100 years must be Herbert Hoover and, no matter how good and well-meaning, Jimmy Carter. Is Bush about to join their ranks? Carter's failure was to project US power effectively. The same might be said of Bush. In fact, he has made a far bigger mess than Carter. The Iran hostage crisis pales in comparison with the Iraq war. It's nothing less than Bush's Vietnam. The only difference is Lyndon B Johnson inherited the Vietnam war from John F Kennedy; the Iraq war was Bush's own initiative.
He has not only failed to restore order in Iraq but exposed the limitations of US power. He has strained relations with European allies and is wasting manpower and resources in endless fighting in the Middle East when the USA is already heavily overburdened with debt. Meanwhile, China has made inroads in Latin America where leftist governments are coming to power. US influence is no longer unchallenged in Latin America. And it's all happening during Bush's watch.
I am not anti-Bush. He is a devout family man. He may genuinely want democracy in Iraq. And someone has to fight terrorism. It's also to his credit that he has reached out beyond the Western alliance to look for new partners and build closer links with countries like India.
But there's no denying the growing Chinese power, the situation in Latin America and the mess in Iraq.
It makes one wonder about Bush's place in history. He is not about to be forgotten like all those presidents who occupied the White House between the 1840s and the 1890s. With the exception of Abraham Lincoln, they are hardly talked about today. How often does one hear of John Tyler (1841-45), Millard Fillmore (1850-53), Franklin Pierce (1853-57), Andrew Johnson (1865-69) or Chester Allan Arthur (1881-85)? Bush will continue to be talked about and written about after he leaves the White House. But let's hope he won't be remembered for all the wrong reasons like Ulysses S Grant.
The terms of those little remembered presidents I got from Answers.com.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Workfare in Singapore
Singapore seems to be finally embracing a social welfare system. "Workfare to be fixed part of social safety net," reports The Straits Times today. "Help scheme for low-income will be reviewed, adjusted but here to stay". The government does subsidise public housing, health care and education but has opposed the Western social welfare system so far. Now that is about to change.
The Workfare bonus for low-income workers will become a permanent feature of Singapore's social safety net, starting with a three-year run, reports The Straits Times.
"For every dollar you earn through your own efforts the government will give you something to match," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a conference of the ruling People's Action Party yesterday.
The government assistance will be partly in cash, but most of it will go into people's provident funds, health care and "retirement", reported The Straits Times. Typically, the newspaper didn't spell out the difference between the provident fund and "retirement" -- the fund is meant to help retirees though it can be used for other purposes. But had it explained the difference, it wouldn't be The Straits Times.
Workfare is not a new concept. It's another form of welfare.
The Wikipedia says: "Workfare is an alternative model to conventional social welfare systems. Traditional welfare benefits are available with little required of the recipient, save their continued search for employment, if that. Under workfare, recipients have to meet certain participation requirements to continue to receive their welfare benefits. These requirements are often a combination of activities that are intended to improve the recipient's job prospects (such as training, rehabilitation and work experience) and those designated as contributing to society (such as unpaid or underpaid work). These programs, now common in the United States, Australia and Canada have generated considerable debate and controversy.
"The purported main goal of workfare is to generate a 'net contribution' to society from welfare recipients. Most commonly, this means getting unemployed people into paid work, reducing or eliminating welfare payments to them and creating an income that generates taxes. Furthermore, it is argued that once a person has recent employment experience, even at entry level, they are better able to obtain gainful, long term employment. Forcing people into employment or employment-like situations also aims to break the cycle of poverty where... welfare dependence -- it is claimed -- can become a way of life."
The Wikipedia adds: "Critics argue that there are many flaws and that many of the likely consequences outweigh the expected benefits.
"One main argument is that workfare tends to generate prospective employees who lack basic literacy or numeracy skills and are mostly unemployable outside the so-called McJob industries."
"The social consequences of the burdens of a workfare system are another focus of criticism. As discussed in the 2002 Michael Moore documentary film Bowling for Columbine, work requirements for welfare funds can put a strain on families with young children, especially when the families are headed by single mothers. It could also be argued that people with inherent disadvantages to finding employment (such as a disability, a speech impediment, or being of an ethnic minority) are unfairly punished for issues beyond their control."
In Singapore, however, where there are no unemployment benefits, people have to work anyway. So Workfare will be a bonus. However, one must work to get it.
The new system is being introduced when the Goods and Services Tax -- the sales tax -- is about to go up from 5 per cent to 7 per cent, which is likely to raise the cost of living.
The Workfare bonus for low-income workers will become a permanent feature of Singapore's social safety net, starting with a three-year run, reports The Straits Times.
"For every dollar you earn through your own efforts the government will give you something to match," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a conference of the ruling People's Action Party yesterday.
The government assistance will be partly in cash, but most of it will go into people's provident funds, health care and "retirement", reported The Straits Times. Typically, the newspaper didn't spell out the difference between the provident fund and "retirement" -- the fund is meant to help retirees though it can be used for other purposes. But had it explained the difference, it wouldn't be The Straits Times.
Workfare is not a new concept. It's another form of welfare.
The Wikipedia says: "Workfare is an alternative model to conventional social welfare systems. Traditional welfare benefits are available with little required of the recipient, save their continued search for employment, if that. Under workfare, recipients have to meet certain participation requirements to continue to receive their welfare benefits. These requirements are often a combination of activities that are intended to improve the recipient's job prospects (such as training, rehabilitation and work experience) and those designated as contributing to society (such as unpaid or underpaid work). These programs, now common in the United States, Australia and Canada have generated considerable debate and controversy.
"The purported main goal of workfare is to generate a 'net contribution' to society from welfare recipients. Most commonly, this means getting unemployed people into paid work, reducing or eliminating welfare payments to them and creating an income that generates taxes. Furthermore, it is argued that once a person has recent employment experience, even at entry level, they are better able to obtain gainful, long term employment. Forcing people into employment or employment-like situations also aims to break the cycle of poverty where... welfare dependence -- it is claimed -- can become a way of life."
The Wikipedia adds: "Critics argue that there are many flaws and that many of the likely consequences outweigh the expected benefits.
"One main argument is that workfare tends to generate prospective employees who lack basic literacy or numeracy skills and are mostly unemployable outside the so-called McJob industries."
"The social consequences of the burdens of a workfare system are another focus of criticism. As discussed in the 2002 Michael Moore documentary film Bowling for Columbine, work requirements for welfare funds can put a strain on families with young children, especially when the families are headed by single mothers. It could also be argued that people with inherent disadvantages to finding employment (such as a disability, a speech impediment, or being of an ethnic minority) are unfairly punished for issues beyond their control."
In Singapore, however, where there are no unemployment benefits, people have to work anyway. So Workfare will be a bonus. However, one must work to get it.
The new system is being introduced when the Goods and Services Tax -- the sales tax -- is about to go up from 5 per cent to 7 per cent, which is likely to raise the cost of living.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Get Vox this weekend!
Anyone who wants to blog and has time to spare this weekend should register for Vox. It's really cool. So what if you already have a blog? This one has features you could link to your blog. See "See My Photos" in the sidebar? It's a feed from my Vox blog, which I just created. Sure, I have an even snazzier link to Flickr using its cool, distinctive badge. And there are other ways to integrate audio in a blog using a music player like StreamPad or Pandora. But why not upload the good stuff on Vox where you can blog at the same time and control who sees your posts?
That's another great feature of Vox. Not only can you have separate feeds for audios, videos, photos and posts. You can also control the "privacy settings" on Vox. You decide which of your posts, photos, videos and audios should be private, accessible only to your family and friends, and which should be public, open to anyone browsing the web.
And posting, uploading, on Vox is a breeze. Posts can be re-edited and published on the web as easily and quickly as on WordPress.
Vox also offers plenty of designs for your blog. You can change the appearance of your blog in a minute. Changing the design takes no time at all. You can also show off your collection of books.
You can also cross-post to TypePad and LiveJournal. If you enable cross-posting and post on Vox and check the cross-post box, a summary of your post will appear on your TypePad blog or LiveJournal with a link to your Vox post.
Now that's one feature which possibly works even better on another blogging platform called Multiply which I read about in TechCrunch. Anything posted on Multiply can be cross-posted in full to TypePad and Blogger. Multiply also has privacy settings. But Vox is cool. Check it out. Register now and wait for the invitation email to pop up in your mailbox that will let you start blogging on this hip, new creation of Ben and Mena Trott and all the good people at Six Apart.
That's another great feature of Vox. Not only can you have separate feeds for audios, videos, photos and posts. You can also control the "privacy settings" on Vox. You decide which of your posts, photos, videos and audios should be private, accessible only to your family and friends, and which should be public, open to anyone browsing the web.
And posting, uploading, on Vox is a breeze. Posts can be re-edited and published on the web as easily and quickly as on WordPress.
Vox also offers plenty of designs for your blog. You can change the appearance of your blog in a minute. Changing the design takes no time at all. You can also show off your collection of books.
You can also cross-post to TypePad and LiveJournal. If you enable cross-posting and post on Vox and check the cross-post box, a summary of your post will appear on your TypePad blog or LiveJournal with a link to your Vox post.
Now that's one feature which possibly works even better on another blogging platform called Multiply which I read about in TechCrunch. Anything posted on Multiply can be cross-posted in full to TypePad and Blogger. Multiply also has privacy settings. But Vox is cool. Check it out. Register now and wait for the invitation email to pop up in your mailbox that will let you start blogging on this hip, new creation of Ben and Mena Trott and all the good people at Six Apart.
Ganguly's back, now Chappell get out!
Yoohoo, Sourav Ganguly has been recalled to the Indian cricket team! As The Telegraph reports, it's a "debacle" for India's cricket coach, Greg Chappell.
A year ago, I wrote the Chappie should be fired after he gave the finger to Indian cricket fans in Calcutta (Kolkata) who were protesting against the local hero, Ganguly, being dropped from the team after a spat with him.
I wonder how the abominable Aussie had the gall to insult the fans even after the Indian team lost that match.
Maybe the Chappie knew the Indian cricket control board would take no action against him. He was right. He continues to coach the Indian team despite its disgraceful performance under him.
Now the Indians have finally been hammered in South Africa, skittled out for 91 runs -- 91 runs in a one-day international! -- the Indian team selectors have finally caved in to public pressure and recalled Ganguly for the Test matches against South Africa starting this month.
It's true Ganguly was in poor form as a batsman when he was dropped from the team. But he has an excellent record as the team captain. He led India to the 2003 World Cup finals and holds the Indian record for the most number of Test victories as the team captain from 2000 to 2005. He has scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests and more than 10,000 in one-day internationals. And a man with a record like that was dropped on the insistence of a foreign coach who had just taken charge of the team!
Chappell and his brother, Ian, who was the Australian cricket captain, were infamous for their unsporting behaviour. He should have never been appointed India's cricket coach in the first place. He has merely sown dissension in the team, led it into a bad patch and nearly succeeded in wrecking Ganguly's career.
And he even insulted Indian members of parliament. When questions were raised in parliament about India's poor performance in South Africa, he remarked, "“I’m not surprised. They (MPs) are paid to do so in Parliament." At least, he had the good sense to avoid the B-word: bribed.
Actually, this abominable Aussie can be crafty too.
He was infamously involved in an underarm bowling incident in a New Zealand-Australia one-day international in 1981. His brother, Ian, ordered him to bowl underarm, thus ensuring Australia would win the match and avoid a tie. Their unsporting behaviour caused an outcry. Both brothers later expressed regret and embarrassment. But maybe that was just for public consumption. Mean Greg, the abominable Aussie, continues to make mischief in India. And he gets away with it, even now.
Even after the debacle in South Africa -- and the recall of Ganguly -- India's chief selector, Dilip Vengsarkar, denied that Chappell's performance as coach was under scrutiny. ""He has been appointed till the World Cup (next year). The players have to perform. He can plan, strategies and coach. But can't go out and play," said Vengsarkar, absolving the coach of all responsibility for the team's poor performance. Why have a coach at all, then, if he can't improve the team?
The abominable Aussie will, no doubt, be happy to keep his job. After all, he shows no sign of leaving. Why should he walk away from a job that pays him about $175,000 a year? Not only is the Chappie getting paid good money; he can also insult the "natives", who seem to be turning the other cheek to the "sahib".
Yes, the Chappie was brought in last year on a two-year contract to coach the Indian team till the World Cup in West Indies next year. But surely, the contract can be terminated. The Indian cricket control board surely makes enough money from match receipts and television rights in cricket-crazy India to pay compensation to the Chappie.
Mike Selvey, writing in the Guardian, says: "Knowing Greg, I suspect he would welcome Ganguly if he demonstrates form, fitness and commitment."
Oh yes, he will certainly grin and bear it. The Chappie's got no choice if he wants to keep his job. If he doesn't quit now even after the return of Ganguly, whom he dropped from the team, we will know he can be not only rude and insulting but is quite thick-skinned too.
I, of course, write as a Bengali from Calcutta. Naturally, I am delighted that Ganguly, also a Bengali from Calcutta, has finally got the better of the abominable Aussie.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Singapore civil service pay hike likely
Singapore government workers have reason to cheer -- and not just because the coming sales tax hike, from 5 percent to 7 percent, is meant to help the poor as well as the middle-income group. The salaries of more than 60,000 civil servants in Singapore are expected to go up next year to stay competitive as private sector wages rise, said Defence Minister and Minister in charge of Civil Service Teo Chee Hean. Private sector wages have gone up by 3.5 percent on average, according to Channel NewsAsia.
Asked whether ministers also would be paid more, the minister said: "We have to look at the benchmark to see where they are to decide what kind of adjustments we need to make. The benchmarks are basically to keep up with the private sector."
In other words, Singapore ministers like civil servants have to be paid as much as their private sector counterparts.
Channel NewsAsia reported: "Currently, ministerial pay is pegged to the salaries of the top earners in six chosen professions. It is set at two-thirds the median income of the top eight earners in each of these six professions or the pay of the individual at the mid-point of that list."
A Google search did not turn up any mainstream media site showing how much a Singapore minister is paid today.
But the South China Morning Post reported in 2003 that "the prime minister earns a reported gross salary of S$1,030,000 a year, and that is before the variable component is taken into account".
One Singapore dollar is worth about 65 cents.
The South China Morning Post added: "The Singapore pay rate compares favourably with that received by United States President George W. Bush, (US$400,000 per year), and Britain's Tony Blair (US$262,000). They also leave in the shade the remuneration reportedly received by Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra (US$32,000) and Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad (US$65,000)."
The US vice-president is paid $208,100 while Senators and Congressmen get $162,100 a year, according to infoplease. The US Supreme Court Chief Justice is paid $208,100 and his colleagues $199,200 and $208,100, it adds.
Asked whether ministers also would be paid more, the minister said: "We have to look at the benchmark to see where they are to decide what kind of adjustments we need to make. The benchmarks are basically to keep up with the private sector."
In other words, Singapore ministers like civil servants have to be paid as much as their private sector counterparts.
Channel NewsAsia reported: "Currently, ministerial pay is pegged to the salaries of the top earners in six chosen professions. It is set at two-thirds the median income of the top eight earners in each of these six professions or the pay of the individual at the mid-point of that list."
A Google search did not turn up any mainstream media site showing how much a Singapore minister is paid today.
But the South China Morning Post reported in 2003 that "the prime minister earns a reported gross salary of S$1,030,000 a year, and that is before the variable component is taken into account".
One Singapore dollar is worth about 65 cents.
The South China Morning Post added: "The Singapore pay rate compares favourably with that received by United States President George W. Bush, (US$400,000 per year), and Britain's Tony Blair (US$262,000). They also leave in the shade the remuneration reportedly received by Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra (US$32,000) and Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad (US$65,000)."
The US vice-president is paid $208,100 while Senators and Congressmen get $162,100 a year, according to infoplease. The US Supreme Court Chief Justice is paid $208,100 and his colleagues $199,200 and $208,100, it adds.
A sales tax hike to help the people
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Singapore is going to go up from 5 percent to 7 percent -- and it's going to help the poor. Wait a minute now, this is a sales tax, an indirect tax, which has to be paid by the rich and the poor alike unlike the income tax, which exempts the poor and goes up with the income bracket -- the more you earn, the more you pay.
So how can a sales tax hike help the poor?
It can in Singapore. The GST hike, which will net another 1.5 billion Singapore dollars (almost a billion dollars) in government revenue annually, will be used to help the poor and further improve the city-state's already excellent infrastructure. Singapore has no social security but offers various subsidies for public housing, health and education, etc.
But a higher sales tax means prices will go up -- for food and other daily necessities. How does that help the poor? People will have to wait and see. The government will spell out how it's going to help the people on February 15 when it will announce next year's budget.
And it will help not only the poor but the middle-income group too, Education Minister and Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugratnam said yesterday.
People can't wait for the new measures to be announced, according to The Straits Times, which called them a "much-anticipated package".
All the government is prepared to say now is, there won't be any increase in public carpark fees, radio and TV licence fees, passport and birth certificate fees and conservancy charges for a year. And the GST for school fees and health care for subsidised patients will continue to be absorbed "for good", reported The Straits Times, quoting the Finance Ministry.
So how can a sales tax hike help the poor?
It can in Singapore. The GST hike, which will net another 1.5 billion Singapore dollars (almost a billion dollars) in government revenue annually, will be used to help the poor and further improve the city-state's already excellent infrastructure. Singapore has no social security but offers various subsidies for public housing, health and education, etc.
But a higher sales tax means prices will go up -- for food and other daily necessities. How does that help the poor? People will have to wait and see. The government will spell out how it's going to help the people on February 15 when it will announce next year's budget.
And it will help not only the poor but the middle-income group too, Education Minister and Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugratnam said yesterday.
People can't wait for the new measures to be announced, according to The Straits Times, which called them a "much-anticipated package".
All the government is prepared to say now is, there won't be any increase in public carpark fees, radio and TV licence fees, passport and birth certificate fees and conservancy charges for a year. And the GST for school fees and health care for subsidised patients will continue to be absorbed "for good", reported The Straits Times, quoting the Finance Ministry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
