Chan Chun Sing's "open door" policy

Chan Chun Sing said that Singapore must keep doors open to talents.

"https://www.todayonline.com/…/keeping-doors-open-talent-rea…

I do not argue against this statement. But I cannot understand why the government want to give foreigners, or the so called "talent" an advantage over the local PMETs.

What are these advantages given to the "talents" who now work in Singapore under E Pass? Many locals have been retrenched and replaced by these "talents".

What can be done to allow these "talents" to work in Singapore under CCS "open door" policy and remove the disadvantages now faced by our locals?

I talked on this points in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxjarpg7e-o&t=17s

Do you agree with my points?

Funding of activities by foreign entities

Is it good for the government to pass laws to restrict foreigners from funding activities and, as a result, meddle in our local politics?

I wish to share my views here.
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx…

Should employers pay a levy for Employment Pass holders?

At present, employers are not required to pay a levy for employing a foreigner who hold an Employee Pass or E Pass. They are deemed to be "foreign talents" that are needed by our economy. However, these E Pass holders cause our PMETs to lose their jobs, because employers find them to be cheaper to employ.

I ask this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should employers pay a levy for Employment Pass holders?

67% of the respondents say that the employer should pay a levy at a rate higher than the levy for S Pass holders.

14% said the levy should be the same as for S Pass holders.

14% said that there should be no levy as we want to attract them to work in Singapore.

4% said that we are barred by trade agreements from imposing this levy.

See the pie chart of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=611

Is a new HDB flat a good investment?

Many owners are now dismayed that the HDB flat is a depreciating asset and will have no value at the end of the lease.

I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Is a new HDB flat a good investment?

35% of the respondents said that it will be a poor investment after 40 years.

24% said that it provides a reasonable return and a place to live in.

22% said that it is a depreciating asset.

18% said that it will be a good investment for the first 30 years after factoring in the government grant.

On the whole, the respondents held a negative view about investing in a HDB flat.

See the pie chart of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=612

Freehold and leasehold property

Many people think that a leasehold property will have no value when the lease runs out and a freehold property will have a value forever. They are willing to pay much more for a freehold property, compared to a leasehold property.

Are they making the right decision?

Here is the answer
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx…

Should public sector jobs be reserved for locals?

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should public sector jobs be reserved for locals only?

44% of the respondents said that locals can provide better service in the public sector jobs because they know the local languages and culture.

34% said that we need these jobs to be reserved for locals; otherwise there is no certainty of jobs for locals.

16% said that we have to raise wages so that locals will take up these jobs.

6% said that we need flexibility to employ foreigners for the jobs that locals do not want.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=609

Is the GRC system good for Singapore?

Singapore has the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system since 1988.

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Is the GRC system good for Singapore?

69% of the respondents said that it allowed weak and arrogant candidates from the PAP to be elected.

20% said that it has caused a disconnect between the people and their Member of Parliament.

The remaining 10% said that allowed candidates from the minority groups to be elected and has worked well for Singapore.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=610

Recent change in cabinet

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What is your impression of the change in the cabinet announced on 24 April 18?

71% of the respondents said that the quality of minister continue to diminish.

20% said they were disappointed as the same faces were appearing in the cabinet.

10% were positive.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=607

Who will win the 14th General Election in Malaysia?

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Who will win the 14th general election in Malaysia?

57% of the respondents said that Barisan National will win by a small margin.

21% said that Pakatan Harapan will win by a small margin.

The remaining 21% expect one alliance or the other to win by a large margin.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=608

Ministers sent to run the NTUC

Recently, the prime minister sent Ng Chee Meng and Koh Poh Koon to run the NTUC.

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Is it a good idea for the government to send their ministers to run the NTUC?

48% of the respondents said it will weaken the leadership of the trade unions in fighting for the rights of workers.

42% said that the workers will lose out in the long run.

The remaining 10% view this move as beneficial to the workers in the long run.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=605

Post feedback to large organizations

Many people write to give their feedback in the newspapers. However, the newspapers can only print a small number of letters.

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Is it useful to have an app that allows people to post feedback to large organizations?

44% of the respondents said it is an alternative to writing to the newspapers which are hardly published.

26% said it will be interesting to read these feedback.

16% said it will attract many contributions.

14% said few people will be interested to contribute or read the feedback.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=606

ISEAS Talk - 14th General Election in Malaysia

I attended a full day talk conducted by ISEAS on the general election in Malaysia.

Here are my impressions of the presentations.

1. BN has a strong grassroots organisation; they are much better than the other parties.
2. BN still has strong support of the rural Malay vote.
3. They are likely to win Johore and Sarawak.
4. PH is a much weaker alliance compared to the previous election, due to the loss of PAS.
5. Dr. M party will not add much strength to PH, apart from Kedah.
6. The cost of living and GST are big issues.
7. The rural voters are not concerned about 1MDB, corruption and governance.

My assessment is that BN will win the general election. This may change if social media makes a big impact with the rural voters, but this is not likely to happen.

Swing against PAP - to simulate the next general election

I invite you to identify the percentage swing against the PAP that will be caused by each of the various events. I will use the average swing, as submitted by all voters, to compute the results of the next general election.

Previously, the simulation was done with a swing that was estimated by me. In the future, I like to use the average swing that is decided by the voters.

You will also get a prize after you have submitted all the votes. This will be displayed to you immediately.

You need to give your email address to vote (to avoid duplicates) and qualify for the prize.

Give it a try.
http://tklcloud.com/Election/swing.aspx

My prediction for the general election in Malaysia

This is my prediction for the general election in Malaysia.

A key factor influencing the voters is the high cost of living in Malaysia during the recent years. This was caused by the introduciton of GST. It would be bad for Barisan and Najib.

Another factor is that the Malay vote will be split between Umno, Dr. Mahathir and PAS. This might give Harapan the edge.

The ruling government had the advantage of redrawing the boundaries to favor them. And Barisan will be giving handouts.

I think the factors against Barisan will tip the scale. I am looking for a win by Harapan.

What are your views?

Voting for the president

The election of the governor of Jakarta is carried out at two stages.

At the first stage, there are many candidates. The top candidate did not get more than 50% of the votes.

The election then went through the second stage, which is a contest between the top two candidates who got the most votes during the first round.

Many countries adopt this system for voting for their president.

Some countries adopt the "single transferable vote" system or STV. This system is explained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_transferable_vote

Under this system, the voter votes for several candidates in the order of their choice. If the first choice is not successful, the second choice will be considered. This process will be continued until a winning candidate is found. The method may be complicated but the voting is simple from the perspective of the voter.

Singapore did not have the two stage system or the STV system to elect our president. In 2011, the president was elected with a vote of only 35.2%.

Should e-scooters be banned?

Recently, there were a few accidents involving the use of e-scooters. Some led to serious injuries or deaths.

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should e-scooters be banned?

34% of the respondents said - There are too many accidents. The e-scooters should be banned.

30% said - the users should be trained and licensed.

20% said - separate paths should be provided for e-scooters.

16% said - they can use pedestrian paths but they should be careful and sound the bell.

See the pie chart here:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=601

Where will Trump and Kim meet?

President Trump will be meeting Kim Jong Un of North Korea but the place of the meeting has not been announced yet.

I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Guess the place where Donald Trump will meet Kim Jong Un

Here are the breakdown of the votes:

China - 25%
South Korea - 23%
Singapore - 23%
Elsewhere in Asia - 23%
Europe - 6%

See the pie chart here:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=602

Was the GRC system good for Singapore?

Singapore introduced the group representation constituency (GRC) system in 1988, which was 30 years ago. Was this system for Singapore.

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd.

58% of the respondents said that it has caused a lot of harm to Singapore by weakening its governance.

29% said it allowed a new MP to enter Parliament on the coattails of established MPs.

The remaining 13% said that it had two good features - allow minister to be appointed and ensure representation of minorities in Parliament.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=600