Singapore Matters

2022-05-27 06:57:09 Possible for countries to have relations with US and China and to work with both: PM Lee

Singapore joined the IPEF and Singapore also agreed to China joining the CPTPP. Likewise, Japan joined the IPEF and Japan has also joined the RCEP of which China is a member. This is a better approach, says PM Lee.

It is possible for countries to have relations with US and China and to work with both.

#autocracy #CPTPP #democracy #IPEF #LHL #USChinarelations #USChinaRivalry

https://sgmatters.com/possible-for-countries-to-have-relations-with-us-and-china-and-to-work-with-both-pm-lee/ Open / Comment

2022-05-27 04:48:14 70% of our chicken imports are sourced from many, many countries. Our stockpile can last 4 months. In addition, importers and retailers have preordered more supply which will come in the next couple of weeks.

We have to expect disruptions from time to time due to either geopolitical development or climate change. We have to be resilient, and adaptable, stay calm and united, MOS for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan said.

Desmond is confident that we can ride through any challenges. Open / Comment

2022-05-26 10:20:07 Waste of time and public resources.

The two lawyers who acted for Malaysian drug trafficker Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam in a last-ditch attempt to halt his execution were ordered to pay $20,000 in costs to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC).

Mr M. Ravi, who did most of the work, will bear 75 per cent of the costs, while Ms Violet Netto, who later took over as the lawyer on record, was held liable for 25 per cent. Open / Comment

2022-05-26 06:22:27 Inflation was already high before the Russia-Ukraine war. This was because governments continue to apply stimulus measures - for political reasons - even when their economies have visibly recovered from the pandemic. This has led to inflation (due to demand). The war in Europe worsened the situation by disrupting energy and food supplies, adding to a supply side inflationary shock.

Drastic measures are needed to bring inflation back down and prevent inflationary expectations from taking root.

“It is very difficult to do that and have a soft landing. There is a considerable risk of doing what you need to do but as a result provoking a recession. It has happened repeatedly in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. That is a risk which we have to anticipate and watch out for. You will have to take that risk because if you do not act against inflation, that will become a very serious problem for the world, " said PM Lee.

https://sgmatters.com/world-has-to-act-against-inflation-before-it-becomes-a-serious-problem-pm-lee/ Open / Comment

2022-05-26 04:05:24 Chicken (Food) for thought.

Poultry breeders fear losing market share even as the Malaysian government acts to address domestic demands and prices for chickens. Open / Comment

2022-05-25 04:46:41 The Indonesian preacher is not singled out for his religion. He is banned for views that are unacceptable to our context.

We are a multi-religious society and we co-exist through religious harmony and not exclusion. Religious harmony gives us freedom to practise our individual faiths. Singaporeans understand and treasure this. Open / Comment

2022-05-24 07:24:06 Singaporeans need to be careful and discerning when it comes to foreign religious preachers and potentially divisive teachings, Minister Shanmugam said.

"Apply your own judgment - you know what makes Singapore work, you know what's good for oneself as well as the society," he said.

"Everyone is free to practise their religion here. Everyone is free to believe in God or not believe in God, or believe in whichever god they want to believe. But we don't need to cross the line and attack somebody else." Open / Comment

2022-05-24 04:26:51 Comments by supporters of Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara left everyone in no doubt, their radicalism.

Somad's teachings have real world consequences.

"One of them was a 17-year-old detained under the Internal Security Act, 2 years ago, in January 2020. He had watched Somad’s YouTube lectures on suicide bombing. And the young boy began to believe that if you fought for ISIS, and if you are a suicide bomber, you can die as martyr and receive rewards in heaven. So you can see, Somad’s preachings have real world consequences."

- K Shanmugam Open / Comment

2022-05-23 05:11:40 Don't keep asking 'how many Singaporeans, PRs or foreign workers' to create amimosity and divide society. There are so many jobs waiting for Singaporeans to fill. At least 9000 in the finance sector, and another 6600 jobs across Changi Airport as travel recovers.

The focus should be on skills - equipping ourselves with the right skills so that we can take the jobs. This is where Leong Mun Wai fails miserably to understand.

In absolute terms, more than 3,000 Singapore Citizens now hold senior positions in the financial sector, an increase of more than 80% compared to 2016. Open / Comment

2022-05-21 05:16:49 ​​We know that Wake Up Singapore has advocated for drugs to be legalised here. This is why they fight so hard against the death penalty. They will try to save the life of a trafficker so that thousands will be ruined.

A move to legalise drug abuse will weaken our society and the resilience of Singaporeans. In the US, where drugs are freely available, more than 100,000 died of overdose in the last year.

Despite the death penalty and the recent highly publicised execution of a Malaysian for drug trafficking, Malaysians still try to smuggle drugs here for the huge monetary gains they will reap if they are not caught.

Can you imagine the number of people who will be bringing drugs in if there is no penalty, including people who will freely bring in drugs for their own consumption without any fear of punishment?

WUS tries to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the death penalty. Fortunately, Singaporeans are largely sensible.

Those who are willing to take the risk of being caught smuggling above a certain amount of drugs must also willingly face the consequences. Open / Comment