Penang fishermen’s livelihoods, identity politics among concerns as state election looms

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PROJECT SCALED DOWN

However, the state government has scaled down the project from an initial three islands to just one.

In May, Penang caretaker chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government has taken the approach to reduce the size of the project from 4,500 acres to 2,300 acres.

This comes amid fishermen’s fears that the project will destroy the rich marine biodiversity and affect the livelihoods of communities that rely on the waters. About 6,000 fishermen raised objections recently, while politicians are busy campaigning.

With the scaled down project, the number of fishermen affected is said to be around 100, as opposed to 500 previously.

However, Mr Zakaria Ismail from the Penang Fishermen Association, is taking the number with a pinch of salt.

“Actually, the figure of 140 who are affected is only on paper. Whoever made that statement can come here and fish with the fishermen.  In reality, all of the people of Penang are affected. Imagine, this is the only area we can fish in all of Penang state,” the deputy chairman of the association told CNA.

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Scouts begin South Korea jamboree evacuation over extreme weather challenges

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At the site, German volunteer Axel Scholl, 62, told AFP he was “at his limits” working to safely evacuate all the scouts in the heat.

“The worst thing about all of this is … It was for the kids. I’m 62 years old but this was all for the kids. Now they all go home disappointed. It should have been such a nice experience,” he told AFP, wiping away tears.

He said Poland – which will host the next jamboree in 2027 – will have learned a lot about what can go wrong from this year’s experience.

“I feel very very sorry for the Korean nation and Korean people because I think they would have loved to present their country, their culture, their community in a more positive way,” he added.

The Singapore contingent, which relocated to Daejeon city over the weekend, said that activities will go on as planned. 

The leader of the Singapore contingent told CNA on Monday that they are set to move to Seoul on Wednesday and fly back to Singapore on Saturday as planned. 

“A REALLY GREAT TIME”

Korean media have called the jamboree “a national disgrace” saying that authorities had six years to prepare but even so the site had poor drainage, rudimentary showers and toilets, and participants were afflicted by gruesome bug bites.

Following a deluge of online complaints from parents, government organisers admitted there had been “shortcomings” in the area of hygiene and the scout chief acknowledged in a post on LinkedIn that the event had a “bumpy start with … services and facilities”.

But scouts at the campsite told AFP they were sad to leave.

“It was really hot, but we had a great time. It took some while to get used to the circumstances but the youth, they had a really great time,” Nicola Raunig, 27, Austria scout unit leader, told AFP.

“I’m sad it will end now,” she said, adding that she had hoped participants could have enjoyed “the whole experience”.

“But we will make the best out of it,” Raunig said.

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Fear of suspension, penalties: Some food delivery riders use own money to refund customers for spilt orders

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RATINGS

Another concern with having food spillage reported to the platform is that it may affect the rider’s rating.

A Grab delivery rider, who gave his name as Xiong, told CNA food spills could cause a rider’s rating to drop.

Even if the restaurant is at fault for improper food packaging, riders still suffer a decline in their rating, he said. “We have to double-check our food … riders got more responsibility.”

With a lower rating, a rider’s pay and incentives may be affected, he added.

Ratings also affect the number of jobs a delivery rider gets, according to some delivery riders CNA spoke to.

Delivery rider Anis said that a better rating allows the rider to get more orders.

The chances of getting delivery jobs are much higher for people with a higher rating, according to Edwin, who delivers food for foodpanda and Grab.

But he said that food spills do not necessarily impact one’s rating.

“Grab protects us … if a customer for no reason gives zero or one star, they will block out that rating,” he said.

“The orders we send, we all have photo proof … from the photo they can see whether it’s spilt or not.”

Grab told CNA that it carefully evaluates every claim by customers, merchants or riders to first determine if it is valid.

“We do this by checking the consumer’s refund history, as well as the merchant- and delivery-partner’s history, along with verifying the completeness of evidence provided, such as photos depending on the nature of the complaint.”

In response to further queries about the effect of ratings on its delivery riders, Grab said that its delivery riders are required to maintain a minimum rating of 4.5. The maximum rating on the scale is 5.

“Those who do not meet the minimum requirement will be given time to improve their ratings before being penalised.”

“Those who maintain the minimum rating and meet the trip requirements will enjoy benefits such as priority support offered under our Grab Emerald Circle programme,” the company added.

According to Grab, a rider’s rating is “calculated based on an aggregate of consumers’ ratings to ensure that it accurately reflects their overall performance”. 

Meanwhile, foodpanda said in response to queries by CNA that its customers can provide feedback and rate their delivery riders after their delivery has been completed, but its delivery riders’ earnings “are not affected by these ratings”.

“These ratings are for internal tracking purposes and are used to improve the overall customer experience on our platform. The ratings have no impact on our delivery partners’ compensations,” foodpanda added.

For Deliveroo, there is no customer rating system for its riders, the company told CNA.

UNPLEASANT, DISHONEST CUSTOMERS

Offering to pay for food spills out of their own pockets helps to reduce the risk of the customer being “violent”, according to delivery rider Mr Su.

When customers lodge complaints with the platform, the way they capture photographic “evidence” of the food spill and their communication with the support team can affect how the platform deals with the rider, he added.

“You never know what kind of customers you meet. Some are nice, some will scold.”

However, Mr Su said that most of the time, when he apologises and offers to cover the cost or repurchase the food, customers are satisfied as long as the food is still edible.

Some customers also falsely claim that their food was not received or in poor condition, in an attempt to get free meals, according to Edwin.

In response to CNA’s queries, Grab said that it proactively investigates repeated refund requests to determine whether a claim is valid, adding that its system tracks refund requests from all parties, including customers. 

Both foodpanda and Deliveroo also have processes and tools in place to identify any unusual or suspicious refund requests.

“As there are multiple factors which can contribute to incidents such as food spillage, each case is investigated thoroughly to ensure that fair and appropriate action is taken to resolve the issue,” foodpanda said.

Deliveroo also said it “has fraud monitoring tools in place that support in identifying any potential abuse of our operational system for customer refunds, and we will take appropriate action depending on the circumstances”. 

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Singapore scouts to continue with activities in South Korea after typhoon threat cuts short jamboree

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Organisers of the jamboree called for the South Korean government to “urgently” help with efforts to send participants home due to the typhoon warning. Last week, hundreds of scouts were treated for heat-related ailments at the jamboree as temperatures soared. Several contingents, including Singapore, relocated its participants to other sitesContinue Reading

How Hjh Maimunah’s founder started her famous nasi padang chain, from humble shophouse to large franchise

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Mahiran recalled that in the 80s and 90s, the alleys along North Bridge Road were largely empty with only a few modest shophouses. People would bypass them to head to Arab Street.  

But her mum was more optimistic. “I remember her telling me that because the place and country will grow, people will eventually visit the alleys too,” Mahiran said. 

“Though I had doubts, I trusted my mum,” she said. “I followed her advice and picked Jalan Pisang as the location for my restaurant.” Hjh Maimunah opened in 1992, when Mahiran was 27.

The early years were exciting but daunting. Without today’s internet, it was difficult to source for things that could help the restaurant, such as food suppliers or logistics support in Singapore, she said. 

“But my husband and I worked hard, sometimes only coming home to our kids after 3am,” she added. 

Her late mum’s hunch was spot on. Today, Jalan Pisang and the other alleys along North Bridge Road, such as Jalan Kledek and Jalan Klapa, are filled with eateries, cafes, clothes shops and bakeries, attracting both locals and tourists.

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'Not sure where my cheque book is': Consumers, businesses unfazed as Singapore aims to go cheque-free

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SINGAPORE: It was once the primary payment method for all types of bills and big-ticket purchases. But over the years, Mr Peter Tan has had few opportunities to use his chequebook.

“I’ve had my current chequebook for the past 15 years or so, but I don’t think I am halfway through it,” said the 71-year-old.

The last time he wrote a paper cheque was last year when he paid for his wife’s insurance premiums. 

“Even for that, our agent told us there are other ways to pay now,” he said with a laugh.

With greater adoption of e-payments by corporates and individuals, the use of cheques in Singapore has been on the decline.

Annual cheque transaction volume fell by almost 70 per cent from 61 million in 2016 to 19 million in 2022.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced plans to do away with cheques, starting with corporate cheques by end-2025. 

Individuals will still be able to use cheques “for a period” after 2025. This will be determined after the MAS conducts another public consultation exercise next year.

As falling usage pushes up the costs of handling cheques, seven banks – DBS, UOB, OCBC, Citibank, HSBC, Maybank and Standard Chartered – will start charging customers for issuing Singapore dollar-denominated cheques by Nov 1.

Other banks will do so by July next year.

There will also be separate charges for depositors of Singapore dollar-denominated cheques. This will be implemented in phases.

The upcoming changes do not seem to be a problem for those who CNA spoke to. Among 16 people, only two, including Mr Tan, had dealt with a cheque over the last year.

A 68-year-old who only wished to be known as Mr Chan wrote a cheque last year when he needed to pay commission fees to his property agent.

“I still have a lot of cheques left in my chequebook, so why not,” he said.

Several mentioned that they have not written or received a cheque for multiple years, with one telling CNA that he is “not sure where my chequebook is”. At least five people in their 20s and 30s said they have never written a cheque and they have no intention of ever applying for a chequebook.

Reasons for these include the myriad of digital payment methods which offer speed, convenience and easy reference.

There are other benefits like not having to pay for a new chequebook and doing away with the worry about cheques being lost in transit.

“With digital payments, cheques are a hassle now,” said Ms Florence Lee. “And if a cheque gets passed from one person to another, there’s also the concern about having your personal information passed around.”

But Mr Tan, who uses GIRO and bank transfers to pay most of his bills these days, said with the rise in scams of late, cheques still “offer some sense of security”. 

“I am a little scared with so much news about scams … but I think seniors like us will just have to learn iBanking and PayNow, and keep up,” he said.

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The Nyonya who was once shy about being Peranakan but now proudly gives tours at Katong Antique House

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“When I was 30, as I was preparing for my wedding,” Kong said. “I suddenly kept thinking, ‘What if I wore a ceremonial Peranakan outfit for my wedding?’

“Throughout my teens and early 20s, I wouldn’t even wear a kebaya unless it was for special occasions like Chinese New Year,” she said. “But for my wedding, my heart was set on a traditional wedding outfit and my husband, who is not Peranakan, was willing to respect my wishes.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the very intricate outfits tailor-made in Malaysia in time for my wedding in 1997,” she said. 

It was around this period that, to make up for what she missed during her wedding, Kong started paying closer attention to the details of traditional Peranakan wear.

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