TR EMERITUS

Background The video below was taken in 2007 before the Beijing Olympics. The situation in North Korea is likely to be worse now following its botched currency reform in January this year. China regards the North Korean refugees as economic migrants and deny the United Nations High Commission for Refugees access to them, more than 70 percent of whom are women.    Read More →

Raffles Hospital was sued by a 30 year old woman for failing to warn her of the risks of having her second child by normal vaginal delivery after having caesarean section for the first, the Straits Times reports today. As a result, the child suffers permanent brain damage from the delivery and now has cerebral palsy which requires  assistance for all daily activities for the rest of his life. The woman was admitted to the hospital on 18 October 2008. She was unable to deliver vaginally despite medications to promote contractions and the baby had to be deliver via caesarean section in the next morning. She accused the hospital of not detecting the signs of fetal distress which could have led her having a caesarean section earlier. The lawyers representing Raffles Hospital denied her charges and claimed that she was advised twice to have her child delivered via a caesarean section during the night. Raffles Hospital is owned by Raffles Medical Group, one of the largest private healthcare management groups in Singapore. The case is likely to attract widespread attention from the public. There are no immediate comments from the hospital when contacted by the media.  Read More →

Over the course of my stay in London, I had the opportunity to meet up with some fellow Singaporeans who have decided to relocate to the UK. I realized, after speaking at length with them, that there are a couple of common reasons why Singaporeans leave Singapore. 1. Space This is the most common reason given by Singaporeans below their 30s. Singapore, an island state of merely 700 square kilometers, is home to over 5 million souls. That's over 6,800 people crammed in a single square kilometer. In comparison, New Zealand has got 4.2 million people spread over 268,680 square kilometer (15 people per square kilometer). Even though Singapore has got a reputation to be a 'garden city', the greenery is simply not enough go around when all you see are crowds of people everywhere you go. Thinking of bringing your Porsche out for a spin? You wouldn't even hit 100 km/hr before hitting another traffic light. Likewise, those longing for open spaces will have to get their fix elsewhere. 2. Stress The typical work day in Singapore is extremely fast paced. Overtime is almost mandatory and 9am - 6pm work is non existence unless you are working in certain service sector but even then, its getting increasing rare. As a result, Singaporeans tend to speak and walk faster, which contributes to the stress. There is also this chase for material wealth, which is common in most metropolitan society. A while back, there was this talk about 5 Cs - Car, Credit cards, Condominium, Country club membership and Cash. Most families are 'double income' - both parents are working. A typical young couple is expected to have a kid (or two), own a flat, a car and employs a maid - all before they hit their 30s. In short, Singapore is not for those who prefer to 'take it easy'. 3. Education system As Singapore is branding herself as an educational hub, many Singaporeans, having gone through what they consider to be a rigid system would prefer not to subject their children to the same ordeal and move abroad before their children hits school going age. Although the primary and secondary education has gone through a much needed revamp and has seek to move away from rote learning, creativity is still generally not fostered. As a result, the Singaporean educational system is able to produce generally high averages but comparatively lesser peaks. 4. Relentless influx of foreign 'talent' Of late, Singapore has been welcoming skilled foreigners with open arms. These foreign 'talent' are viewed as essential to maintain the relatively healthy economy growth that the city state has enjoyed for the past couple of years. As a result of which, the local populace see an influx of Chinese, Indians and to a much lesser extent, Europeans. Many of whom were subsequently granted permanent residencies. Generally, Singaporeans view these foreign talents as responsible for squeezing them out of the job market and driving up property prices. A familiar story even to London, I supposed. But to a small island state such as Singapore, the effect is much more profound. 5. Quality family time As mentioned in an earlier point, the increase in standard of leaving means that most young families see both parents working – just one generation earlier, it was common to have a parent (most probably the mother) to tend to the household. Although there was a recent effort to increase paid maternity leave to beyond three months, it is still frowned upon in the private sector (not so much in the public sector though) if an employee were to exercise that right. Crèches in workplace is almost unheard of and if there is, is only found in foreign firms that set up branches in Singapore. With the long working hours, families would have to employ a maid or rely on the grandparents to look after their children during the work hours. Even though a bill was passed to provide a one time financial relief to families for every newborn child, parents would still prefer to spend more quality time with their kids if given a choice. 6. Mainstream society Like many Asian societies, Singapore’s is still very much conformed to the mainstream. This manifested itself more prominently in education and the choice of lifestyle of Singaporeans. In school, mathematics and science subjects are immensely more popular compared to those belonging to arts and humanities. In many junior colleges, where the students are first streamed into these two disciplines, the number of students taking the former subjects outnumbers the latter five to one, sometimes more. This phenomenon can be attributed an entire generation who has grown up during the sixties and seventies when Singapore is still a fledging young nation and thus required people with technical skills. Even as Singapore celebrated her 43rd year of independence earlier this year, there are still much more opportunities for a physicist than a historian. Although Singapore Tourism Board has been busy chasing the pink dollar for the past decade, alternative lifestyles still belong very much as a sideshow in the daily life. Homosexuality is still outlawed in the penal code and a recent effort to overturn that was unsuccessful. However, even so, there hasn’t been an instance where person is persecuted by the law for being a lesbian or a gay.   C K, London     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 →