TR EMERITUS

By Lee Wei Lian from The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik was charged with cheating here today over the scandal hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project. The prosecution of Dr Ling comes as a huge shock and is expected to have repercussions for MCA as he is still considered a kingmaker in the party. Dr Ling is believed to be the first Tun ever to be prosecuted. The high powered prosecution team is led by the Attorney General Abdul Ghani Pattail, Deputy Public Prosector (dpp) Tun Majid Tun Hamzah and dpp Manoj Kurup. Ling will be represented by Datuk R R Sethu. Dr Ling led MCA from 1986 to 2003. The PKFZ project was mooted during his tenure as Transport Minister and the cost of the project, initially estimated at less than RM2 billion, more than doubled to RM4.6 billion by 2007. The cost of the project has been further projected to swell to as much as RM12.5 billion due to interest costs from deferred payments if the trans-shipment hub fails to perform. Though he left the post of MCA president in 2003, Ling is still influential in MCA and is perceived as a king maker and the charges will have repercussions on the party which is struggling to regain Chinese support. The move to charge Ling however could help deflect criticisms that the Najib Administration lacks the will to go after the “real masterminds” behind the PKFZ project and boost its reform credentials. The charges concern land evaluations under the penal code with the principle charge under section 418 with the alternative charge being 417. Ling claimed trial to the charges and when the charges were read out to him Ling said he was “not guilty” to both charges. The AG has requested bail at RM1 million and the defence had no objections. Punishment for offences under section 417 carries a jail term of not more than 5 years and not more than 7 years under section 418. The case has been fixed for mention on September 3 and judge will be Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin. According to the penal code, section 418 concerns “Cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may be thereby caused to a person whose interest the offender is bound to protect” while section 417 concerns “Punishment for cheating.” Read rest of article here.  Read More →

Dear Straits Times,   I refer to your report dated 20 Jul 2010.   In the report, it is said that the 40,000 resident births in the mid-1980s cannot make up for the 221,600 new jobs created in 2008. But there were 62,900 residents who were unemployed in 2008 so ideally, we should be looking at importing 221,600 - 40,000 - 62,900 = 118,700 workers. But we ended up importing 157,000 workers in 2008 or a surplus of 38,300 workers. Add to that the tens of thousands of 'invisible jobless' as reported by your good paper on 28 Dec 2009 and Singaporeans' concern for jobs may not be so misplaced after all.   The diversity that Lynda Gratton referred to which leads to more innovative products and services is the diversity of disciplines, not the diversity of nationalities. She used the example of the diversity of engineers, mathematicians, code breakers, cryptographers, crossword puzzle experts and others that cracked the Enigma code during World War II to illustrate her idea of diversity. The spanning of nationalities is incidental, not key to diversity.     Thank you   Ng Kok Lim  Read More →

No, this has got nothing to do with MM Lee’s comments about Singaporeans working beyond the retirement age. To deflect all that he said, I only need to ask myself two questions: How many people in the world at age 86, are still actively working? Who and what company would employ a person who is, say, 76? In life, there is a beginning and there is an end. We begin to work when we are young and we retire when we are old. Everything in between is known as “productive employment” and every productive indicator confirms that this productivity begins to wane somewhere between age 55 and 62. Beyond 62, a person is like a jalopy. The engine begins to wobble, the chassis corrodes and the car just can’t perform as handsomely as it first rolled out of the showroom. It is not unexpected because every human being who goes through this ageing process will understand. In compassionate terms, medical leave escalates and hospitalization leave prolongs coupled with countless of medical appointment in between. It is a divine reminder that a human being is not infallible, that he is mortal and it is the order of life that he cannot ignore or eschew. Hence assuming and calling for an older man to be more productive as he ages is akin to saying that we are growing younger as we are growing older. Hey, I am sorry but the world has not found a Benjamin Button just yet. In a fast paced and competitive business environment like Singapore, a company cannot afford to retain workers who are dragging and stalling the engine of the company. If a younger worker is the answer, no company would want to retain a worker beyond his retirement age. This is a fact of life we have to accept without reservation. Hence, the reality is even if a retiree wants to continue working, no amount of legislations can force a company to hire an old man. Do we want to deprive or deny those who want retirement? Retirement is a joy to be celebrated especially by those who can afford it. After years of dedicated, loyal and committed employment people look forward to retirement with alacrity. Free of encumbrances and a regulated office life for the last 30 years, there are so many passionate things to do during retirement; reading, golfing, fishing, farming, traveling or simply chilling out with friends. Yes, enjoy life because life is meant to be enjoyed and an enjoyable life is a better memory to retrieve. People want to retire when they are still strong and fit. They want to enjoy life before, as the Chinese so cynically put it, they surrender their identity card. They might even want to do some grandparenting role for all we know. And if I were a rich retiree, I would probably have just returned from the World Cup in South Africa. I would cherish this fond memory because I am not sure if I would survive to live the next four years. I know I would never work till I drop because I am very certain that no one would hire me when I reach the grand old age of 76. Douglas Chua * Douglas is a commentary writer that has joined Temasek Review recently. He has written 7 books to date and his 8th is in progress. Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. Please use our online web form to contact us.  Read More →