Parliament votes in favour of amended WP motion on supporting Singapore's athletes

SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6) voted in favour of a Workers’ Party motion to support the accomplishments of Singapore’s athletes and para-athletes, but stopped short of agreeing to call on the government to re-evaluate its management of sports.

Beyond supporting Singapore’s athletes, the original motion called on the government to “undertake a thorough evaluation of the areas of improvement in Singapore’s sporting ecosystem” and “commit to realising clear, achievable goals for sporting success over the coming decade”. 

MP Darryl David (PAP-Ang Mo Kio) proposed to amend the motion to reflect that the government would instead “continue its thorough evaluation”. He also proposed changing “clear, achievable goals for sporting success” to “our goals in sports”. 

All MPs from WP and the Progress Singapore Party’s Non-Constituency MPs who were present voted against these two amendments. The amendments were passed with a majority.  

The majority of the house then voted in favour of the amended motion, while all MPs from WP and PSP’s NCMPs who were present voted against the amended motion.  

In his closing speech, Associate Professor Jamus Lim (WP-Sengkang) said WP could not support Mr David’s amendments in full, though it would be willing to “stand corrected”. 

“While we accept that the government has indicated that they have performed a number of reviews and continues to monitor performance, we’ve not seen the concrete fruits of such thorough evaluations for the sporting ecosystem as a whole,” he added, calling for the government to commit to releasing a report or review documenting this effort.  

The party also did not support the other amendment because it “wiggles out of one of the most important fundamentals for sporting performance” – appropriately defining success, said Assoc Prof Lim.  

“It is important to have clarity on what our goals are, and ideally set up not only eventual but also intermediate targets that we can credibly achieve,” he added.  

“Accepting the amendment also robs us of being able to meet the sort of mass participation goals that we alluded to that are imminently achievable. We also doubt that the government would be comfortable with such ambiguity for other endeavours.”  

Based on Singapore’s income, the country has “unfortunately not only punched way below our weight” in terms of sporting achievements, but has “consistently gotten worse”, said Assoc Prof Lim in his opening speech.  

“What explains our nation’s anomalous outcomes? As it turns out, money alone is not enough. Countries that have prioritised sporting achievement, including at the highest level, know that this prioritisation is what is important,” he added.  

During the five-hour debate, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua supported the amended motion, and stressed that regular and consistent reviews are conducted as part of Singapore’s high-performance sports ecosystem.  

“Through our review, we examine what has worked, what has not worked, what we could do differently and chart our future priorities,” he continued.  

“Our goal is to win of course, but we must accurately define what winning is.”  

While Singapore cannot compete directly with countries with large populations, it has also performed well in many sports, including swimming, sailing, table tennis, badminton and silat.  

Recalling a previous conversation with national badminton player Loh Kean Yew about the expectations Singaporeans have for him, Mr Chua called for the country to be more sensitive and supportive.  

“The weight of an entire nation’s expectations was squarely on this young man’s shoulders, and he was fully aware of that. Perhaps overly so,” he added.  

Mr Chua urged Singaporeans to “not forget that it is not all just about medals”.  

“Rather, it is about journeying with our athletes as they work through their daily struggles in realising their maximum potential.”  

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PSP apologises for 'misleading' video on Ridout Road parliament debate

Ms Indranee said she had written to the PSP to formally request that Mr Leong and the party remove the revised Facebook post and edited video put up on Thursday morning, and to post an apology on all the social media pages the video had appeared on by 10pm the same day.

Otherwise, she would have had “no choice” but to refer the matter to the Committee of Privileges, said Ms Indranee.

In parliament, Mr Leong tried to argue his case by pointing out that the PSP had removed inaccuracies about how much time was spent on clarifications. He also reiterated that Ms Indranee had misunderstood who the “sia suay” phrase in the video’s caption referred to.

“Sia suay” is a Hokkien expression to indicate embarrassment or disgrace.

The edited post had read: “In what some online commenters are calling another ‘sia suay’ moment by our NCMP Leong Mun Wai –

“Our NCMP Leong Mun Wai was informed by the deputy speaker that members were allowed to seek clarification but not debate about the ministerial statements concerning the Ridout Road incident.

“The PSP’s Leong Mun Wai & Hazel Poa Koon Koon are here to do whatever it takes to ensure that the voice of the people is heard.

“This short video is an excerpt taken from the full parliamentary session and is not to be taken as a representation of the entire discussion that took place in the House on Jul 3, 2023.”

In the House on Thursday, Mr Leong said: “We should be entitled to a different view … We should not be forced to present only the view that you want to present. This is a democratic parliament, not a rubber-stamp parliament.”

He also asked Ms Indranee to confirm if an apology was necessary if PSP took down the video, as the party did not “impugn” anyone and he was of the view there was no requirement to say sorry.

Mr Leong also proposed putting up an open letter to express their regret on the matter.

Ms Indranee said sternly that an apology was needed. “The reason is this: The parliamentary privileges, the conduct of parliament are important things. They underpin our democracy.”

She added that for a democracy to function properly, it must work on the basis that MPs and their political parties will speak truthfully to people and give accurate representations of what happened in parliament.

“Because that determines the kind of society we are and if you have a political party which has misrepresented what has happened in parliament, which is a direct strike at the values that underpin this parliament, you should apologise because it’s not the right thing to do.”

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Pritam asks SNOC to adopt ‘forgiving attitude’ on Soh Rui Yong after Asian Games exclusion

Mr Singh acknowledged that SNOC had done much to promote Singapore sports, by bringing sponsors on board and raising the esteem of sports in the minds and hearts of Singaporeans and many parents in a “very big way”.

“But in the eyes of many Singaporeans on the Soh Rui Yong matter, SNOC as the highest sporting body in Singapore comes out looking petty even as many also believe that Rui Yong needs to learn from the past and draw a line and focus on his sporting career,” said the WP secretary-general.

Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Mark Chay, who is also a member of SNOC’s marketing committee, clarified that the council’s appeals committee was satisfied with the Singapore Athletics Association’s nomination of Soh to represent Singapore at this year’s SEA Games.

Soh had also signed a letter of undertaking to abide by the association’s code of conduct. 

But upon returning from the SEA Games, he made disparaging comments about SNOC and his teammates on social media, said Mr Chay. 

He said Soh was an athlete who “has been given a second chance and knowingly breaks the undertaking and commitment”. 

“I think if Rui Yong is truly sorry, and he really wants to move forward, and wants to be a great ambassador for sports, the door is probably not closed,” said Mr Chay, in response to Mr Singh asking if he would advocate for more dispute resolution mechanisms. 

POLITICIANS SHOULD NOT BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN SPORTS: PRITAM SINGH

Mr Singh also called on the government to intervene. 

“I hope the ministry officials, if not the minister in charge of sports, can intercede to prevent parties from reaching a point where Singapore sport cuts off its nose to spite its own face,” he added.

“Politicians should not be directly involved in sports, if only to facilitate raising the profile of Singapore sports and athletes; generating support from corporates, society and parents; and to bring wisdom into disputes like those involving Soh and SNOC.” 

Mr Singh did not say who he was referring to.

“Our sports administrators can afford to take an elevated approach as they have done in the past and be more big-hearted, especially when you consider their collective seniority and contributions to Singapore sports,” he said.

The Leader of the Opposition called for a “more enlightened and mature approach” from all involved.

“(SNOC) does not just hold all the cards, but it’s clearly the party in which the power relationship between athlete and state representation resides can make a massive difference,” Mr Singh added. 

He expressed hope that the matter could be resolved amicably, with better engagement by perhaps a mediator from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

“Our sporting ecosystem is strengthened when we focus on sporting values, sportsmanship and bringing glory to Singapore,” said Mr Singh.

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Parliament pays tribute to Tharman Shanmugaratnam on his last sitting day

SIMPLIFYING COMPLEX ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES THARMAN’S “GREATEST GIFT” 

In a short speech towards the end of Thursday’s sitting, Ms Indranee called Mr Tharman’s ability to simplify complex economic principles as his “greatest gift”.

“I think SM’s (Senior Minister) greatest gift is really in making very complex economic principles sound simple. At least I thought they sounded simple. They sounded very profound; you weren’t quite sure exactly what he was saying, but it sounded like they made a lot of sense,” she said. 

“We will miss SM Tharman in this chamber, not least his commanding presence and his erudite speeches,” she added. 

“But also (we) will miss his wit and his dry humour. I think, most of all, we will miss a friend and a fellow Member of Parliament.”

Ms Indranee told the House that she and Mr Tharman entered parliament in the same batch in 2001.

Mr Tharman has since held various ministerial appointments, including Minister for Education, Minister for Finance, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies and Senior Minister. 

Ms Indranee outlined his various contributions in each role, including seeing Singapore through the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009 as Finance Minister, removing streaming at primary levels as Education Minister, as well as leading the SkillsFuture programme to encourage lifelong learning and upskilling among Singaporeans in his economic and manpower portfolios.

Mr Tharman also chaired the National Jobs Council during the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard jobs and create employment and training opportunities for Singaporeans. 

RECOGNITION FOR NMPs

Ms Indranee also highlighted that Thursday’s parliamentary sitting marked the end of the term for the current cohort of nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) and thanked them for their service. 

Mr Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab, Ms Janet Ang, Mr Mark Chay, Mr Cheng Hsing Yao, Professor Hoon Hian Teck, Professor Koh Lian Pin, Mr Joshua Thomas Raj, Dr Shahira Abdullah and Dr Tan Yia Swam joined parliament in “most unusual circumstances” in the midst of a global pandemic, said Ms Indranee.

The NMPs covered “several important milestones” during their tenure, she noted.

These include measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and position Singapore for a post-pandemic future, Singapore’s Green Plan, the White Paper on Women’s Development, the repeal of Section 377A and the Constitutional Amendment regarding challenges to the definition of marriage, as well as support for the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Bill.

“They champion causes they care deeply about, ranging from economic growth and employment opportunities, healthcare, sports, and sustainability,” added Ms Indranee. 

“They have presented their views passionately and contributed constructively to the robust debates in this House over the last two years. They were also mindful of what this parliament represents and stands for.”

She recalled Mr Cheng’s cut during the Committee of Supply debates earlier this year on “an effective parliament and what that means, as well as the values and principles which underpin it”.

“By their participation in this parliament, they have helped to achieve this current state of affairs,” she added.

“I hope the NMPs will remember their time in parliament fondly, and that they will continue to give close attention to issues of national interest, follow parliamentary proceedings, and contribute to our national building efforts in their personal or professional capacities.” 

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50 consumer complaints filed against e-commerce firm Mdada in span of six months

SINGAPORE: The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) has received 50 complaints against e-commerce firm Mdada between Jan 1 and Jun 30, 2023.

These were generally from consumers who did not receive their orders within committed delivery timeframes.

Other complaints included incomplete deliveries, delays in receiving refunds for non-deliveries and defective or incorrect products, CASE President Mr Melvin Yong said in a statement on Thursday (Jul 6).

“CASE has written to Mdada to seek resolution for the outstanding complaints,” he added.

Singapore-based Mdada, founded in September 2020 by hairstylist Addy Lee, actor-host Pornsak Prajakwit and actress Michelle Chia, describes itself as the “fastest-growing and largest” livestream commerce multi-channel in Southeast Asia.

It offers a range of beauty and lifestyle products, as well as luxury items.

According to Mr Yong, at least four consumers are yet to receive orders or refunds as of Tuesday, despite Mdada’s commitment to resolve all outstanding orders by June.

“If Mdada is unable to fulfil outstanding orders or if affected consumers no longer wish to proceed with their orders due to the extended delay, they should effect the refund expeditiously,” he said.

“It is unfair for Mdada to hold on to consumers’ monies indefinitely if they are unable to fulfil the orders.”

On Wednesday, the company posted an apology on Facebook, asking customers to bear with them for “a little more” as they settle “teething issues”.

Mdada said it has “progressively paid out refunds for orders that are out of stock or have experienced inordinate delays in shipments”.

Overseas shipments are being expedited to reach customers as soon as they arrive in Singapore, it added.

“Due to manpower shortage, longer processing time is required, impacting our operations,” said the firm, while promising to ensure communication with customers via WhatsApp to be “as painless as possible, with almost immediate” responses and updates.

CNA has contacted Mdada for more information.

Affected customers may approach CASE for assistance via their website or their hotline at 6277-5100.

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Defence grills stepmother of 5-year-old girl allegedly murdered by father

He put it to the man’s wife that she was shown pushing the bookshelf to close up the naughty corner space, but she disagreed, saying she did not know why she did that.

The lawyer pointed out that the woman was shown resting her hand on the bookshelf while her husband was beating the girl up.

“My instructions are that during that period of time, you were complaining to (the accused) about (the deceased’s) behaviour. Do you agree or disagree?” asked Mr Cheong.

“I cannot remember,” answered the woman.

“At that point in time, did you think about comforting (the deceased)?” asked the lawyer.

“I cannot remember anything on that day. What I did, or what I said, or what I think,” said the woman.

“Because you walked away, you actually did not feel sorry for (the deceased) at all,” asserted the lawyer.

“My answer is still – I don’t know. I cannot remember how I feel,” replied the woman.

The lawyer then played footage where the accused reached behind him to get a cane that was resting on the bookshelf. After this, he strikes his daughter repeatedly with it.

Mr Cheong asserted that woman had walked in and out of the video frame because she was trying to pass the cane to her husband, but left when she saw that he already had it.

The woman again said she could not remember why she went in and out.

Mr Cheong then played another video clip which showed the accused pushing his daughter and son in a pram down a corridor towards his flat.

The two children were shown to be subdued, staring at their stepmother, who was filming the video and silently following instructions to sit down or stand up.

In the background, cooing sounds could be heard and the accused’s legs could be seen as he lay on a mattress. He shared that mattress with his wife and her two baby daughters.

THE WAY SHE ADDRESSED THE KIDS

In the video, the man’s wife can be heard talking to the man’s children.

She referred to the girl as “Eh” or “A”, and to the boy as “guy”.

“Why did you not call (the deceased) by her name?” asked Mr Cheong.

“On that particular day, I don’t know why. But I did call sometimes by her name,” answered the woman.

“So sometimes you call her by her name, most of the time you just refer to her as ‘eh’?” asked the lawyer.

“No. Sometimes I just … didn’t even talk to her,” answered the woman.

The woman had been shown in video footage calling her stepson “jantan”.

“The Malay word ‘jantan’ is actually a disrespectful way of referring to a male person, do you agree or disagree?” asked Mr Cheong.

“No,” replied the woman.

The lawyer also showed the woman a video of the girl playing with her milk bottle and suggested to the woman that she had taken this video to send to the accused, because she wanted him to come home and punish the girl.

The woman disagreed.

She also disagreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that she was jealous of her husband’s two kids.

The trial continues, with the first tranche set to end this Friday and resume again in September.

If convicted of murder under Section 300(c), the man can be sentenced to death, or to life imprisonment with caning.

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CNA Explains: The challenges school bus operators face and why they need parents to pay more

LACK OF DEMAND, HIGH COSTS

The costs of running a bus service are high, and providing school bus services rarely covers them, said the industry players.

It is the supplementary income from transporting workers and tourists that keeps the school bus business “viable”, said Mr Adrian Yeap, CEO of bus company Yeap Transport.

“No school bus operator can survive on just school bus fare in Singapore,” he told CNA’s podcast Heart of The Matter.

Previously, school bus operators had pupils in the morning session and the afternoon session to cater to, but things changed after the move to a single session in 2000.

“The price did not catch up,” said Mr Yeap.

For instance, if it costs S$100 a day to run the service today, what he may earn from three trips may be S$30, he said.

To earn the remaining money just to break even, he will have to drive more, he noted.

“How many more hours do you want the school bus driver who’s responsible for the very life of your children at the back to drive?” he asked.

“The poor bus driver has to drive many hours in order to make ends meet,” he added.

EXPECTATIONS OF LOW FEES

The industry is also limited by parents’ perceptions on how much school bus services are worth, bus owners said.

“A lot of the parents have a mindset that they are willing to pay this much,” said Mr Darry Lim, spokesman from the Singapore School Transport Association.

Parents of children in local primary schools currently typically pay between S$110 and S$180 per month for nine months, he told Heart of The Matter.

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PUBG: India-Pakistan gaming love story ends in jail

PUBG love story

The love story of a Pakistani woman and an Indian man who met through popular online game PUBG has been making headlines in India after the couple landed up in jail.

Seema Ghulam Haider, 27, met Sachin Meena, 22, through the virtual gaming platform a couple of years ago and recently travelled to India so that she could live with him.

She entered India illegally in May along with her four young children and they were staying with Mr Meena in Greater Noida – a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh – for over a month, police said.

On Tuesday, the couple was arrested. A court has remanded them in jail for 14 days. The woman’s children are with their mother. The couple have told reporters that they want to get married and live together. Police say they are carrying out a detailed investigation into the case.

The India-Pakistan love story has sparked conversations around the role the virtual world plays in fostering real-life relationships across geographical borders.

Sparks fly on PUBG

Ms Haider married Ghulam Haider, a resident of Pakistan’s Sindh province, in February 2014. The couple had four children – three daughters and a son – together.

Five years after their marriage, her husband moved to Saudi Arabia for work. Ms Haider began playing PUBG to keep herself occupied.

“I used to play PUBG for two to three hours a day and I got to know Sachin while playing the game,” she told BBC Hindi. The two exchanged phone numbers and began speaking regularly.

PUBG love story

After their relationship had progressed over three years, Ms Haider decided to move to India to marry Mr Meena.

She has accused her husband of beating her and has told police that she had divorced him. Mr Haider has denied the domestic violence allegations and the divorce.

He has accused Ms Haider of selling their house in Pakistan and running away with their children and jewellery.

How the couple met

Police said that Ms Haider and Mr Meena first met in Nepal in March and stayed in a hotel for a couple of days before they returned to their respective countries.

In May, Ms Haider travelled to Nepal again on a tourist visa, this time with her four children. From there she took a bus to Delhi, senior police official in Greater Noida Saad Miya Khan told the BBC.

Police said she told them that she did not sell her husband’s house but a plot of land that belonged to her parents to gather money for the trip and got the idea of entering India via Nepal from a YouTube video.

Mr Meena, who lives in Rabupura town in Greater Noida and works in a grocery shop, rented a room to stay with Ms Haider and her children.

His landlord, Girish Kumar, told the BBC that he never suspected anything illegal as Mr Meena had provided necessary government documents while renting the house and that his parents too had come to visit the couple.

PUBG love story

How they got caught

The couple reportedly met a local lawyer for advice about Ms Haider’s residency in India last week but the lawyer informed the police about them, Times of India newspaper reported.

“I was startled when I found that she and her children were carrying Pakistani passports,” the lawyer told the newspaper, and added that Ms Haider was making inquiries about the process of getting married in India.

The lawyer claimed that Ms Haider had said that her husband [Ghulam Haider] would physically assault her and that she had not met him in four years.

He also claimed that Ms Haider got up and left as soon as she was asked about her Indian visa and that one of his associates then followed her.

“When I learnt that they were living in Rabupura, I informed the police,” the lawyer said.

Along with the couple, the police have arrested Mr Meena’s father as well for sheltering Ms Haider without a visa.

The couple have appealed to the Indian government to help them get married.

Ms Haider’s husband, meanwhile, claims that his wife has been “seduced” through PUBG and wants her to be returned to Pakistan with their children.

Additional reporting by Riyaz Sohail and Shumaila Khan

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Taylor Swift fans start queuing at SingPost outlets more than 24 hours before general ticket sales start

That “somebody” is Simone, an 18-year-old student at Nanyang Polytechnic. Like Catalina, Simone arrived at around 9am on Thursday. However, she was slightly ahead and ended up being the first person in line, that is, the person with a very high chance of scoring general sales tickets on Friday.

Despite the power she wields, Simone plans to only purchase Category 4 or 5 tickets (which cost S$248 and S$168, respectively) for just one show, citing budget issues. Like June, Simone opted to queue physically as “there were a lot of system crashes due to overload” and “there was a better chance of getting tickets (via SingPost) based on personal experience”.

Within hours of queuing, Simone had already formed a friendship with Catalina and June – the two women even helped watch over her spot as she went to have lunch with her mother. Swifties stick together, clearly. 

Those trying to buy tickets on Friday have already cleared one hurdle – they are the lucky ones who have received a unique access code to participate in general sales, both online and offline. Some others have been put on a waitlist and will only be given codes should there be enough seats available.

With close to 24 hours till the start of general sales, how are these fans passing the time and staying fearless?

“Chit-chat, watch some K-dramas and read books,” said June.

Given the influx of high-profile concerts held in Singapore in the coming months, such as Twice and Coldplay, more and more fans are turning to SingPost outlets to secure their tickets. Yet, some netizens feel like the act of queuing overnight outside a post office borders on “excessive”. What do these fans have to say about that?

Catalina quipped: “It’s not excessive as we like (Swift’s) songs and we like her. That’s why we think it’s worth queuing up. We just buy enough for our own use and not for resale.”

Simone echoed her sentiments, saying: “It isn’t obsessive and I shouldn’t risk anything (for this concert). If you want something and are passionate about it, you should do all you can to get it.”

In any case, time will soon tell whether the efforts of these fans will be worth it. 

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