Who is the best person to take over the leadership of the Worker Party from Low Thia Khiang?
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Sunday, November 05, 2017
Who will take over from Low Thia Khiang?
Who is the best person to take over the leadership of the Worker Party from Low Thia Khiang?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Leadership of Worker Party
Why does Low Thia Khiang plan to step down from Workers' Party?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Lapses at SMRT
Should a formal inquiry be called to look into the lapses in SMRT?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
A secure e-voting system
I am looking for a solution to an e-voting system.
I will stored the votes in 3 separate servers, under the control of 3 independent parties. This will prevent the people in control of the primary server or hackers from manipulating the results, as they do not have any access to the other servers.
I just found another feature in database that enhance the control. I can set the table to prevent updating of the votes. The votes can be inserted but cannot be updated.
All the three servers will have security features that make it difficult for hackers to access the servers (unlike the email server of Hillary Clinton that was hacked and the emails were downloaded).
Even if a hacker can access and download the e-votes, they do not know who the voters are, as their ID is replaced by a random code. The hacker cannot alter the votes.
Furthermore, they will not be able to change the votes in the there independent servers that are separately secured.
I find this arrangement to be quite secure. I hope that some countries will have the confidence to move to e-voting. It will reduce the manpower to count the votes and prevent the fraudulent practices in a manual voting system. The results can be announced within a few minutes of the close of polling.
Click here for more details
I will stored the votes in 3 separate servers, under the control of 3 independent parties. This will prevent the people in control of the primary server or hackers from manipulating the results, as they do not have any access to the other servers.
I just found another feature in database that enhance the control. I can set the table to prevent updating of the votes. The votes can be inserted but cannot be updated.
All the three servers will have security features that make it difficult for hackers to access the servers (unlike the email server of Hillary Clinton that was hacked and the emails were downloaded).
Even if a hacker can access and download the e-votes, they do not know who the voters are, as their ID is replaced by a random code. The hacker cannot alter the votes.
Furthermore, they will not be able to change the votes in the there independent servers that are separately secured.
I find this arrangement to be quite secure. I hope that some countries will have the confidence to move to e-voting. It will reduce the manpower to count the votes and prevent the fraudulent practices in a manual voting system. The results can be announced within a few minutes of the close of polling.
King Bhumiphol of Thailand
King Bhumiphol of Thailand died a year ago and was recently cremated.
I posed this question in The Wisdom of the Croed - Why was the previous King Bhumibol of Thailand so much loved by the people?
The votes were evenly split between three main reasons. You can view them at
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=338
I posed this question in The Wisdom of the Croed - Why was the previous King Bhumibol of Thailand so much loved by the people?
The votes were evenly split between three main reasons. You can view them at
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=338
Prospects for the economy
The government reported a slight dip in unemployment. Does this point to an improving economy?
I posed this broader question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Do you expect the Singapore economy to improve in the near future?
50% of the people who voted said that they are still pessimistic about the economy due to high cost, wasteful practices and incompetent government.
Another 30% said that the economy will continue to be bad due to bad leadership.
That makes a total of 80% who are pessimistic. The remaining 20% are optimistic.
See a breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=342
I posed this broader question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Do you expect the Singapore economy to improve in the near future?
50% of the people who voted said that they are still pessimistic about the economy due to high cost, wasteful practices and incompetent government.
Another 30% said that the economy will continue to be bad due to bad leadership.
That makes a total of 80% who are pessimistic. The remaining 20% are optimistic.
See a breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=342
Dip in unemployment
The Ministry of Manpower reported a slight dip in unemployment in the 3rd quarter of 2017.
I posed this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Is the employment situation improving in Singapore?
56% of the people who voted said that the unemployment situation is still quite bad with many graduates and school leavers finding it difficult to get a full time job.
Only 2% said that the employment situation is improving due to better prospects for the global economy.
See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=341
I posed this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Is the employment situation improving in Singapore?
56% of the people who voted said that the unemployment situation is still quite bad with many graduates and school leavers finding it difficult to get a full time job.
Only 2% said that the employment situation is improving due to better prospects for the global economy.
See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=341
Friday, November 03, 2017
Simulate election in America
This website simulates the voting for the President of the United States and the governors, senators and representatives of four states in America.
Who will be elected as POTUS and the governors? How many seats will the Democrats, Republicans and Independents win in the Senate and House?
You can tract the results (updated every 10 minutes) here.
http://tklcloud.com/election/result.aspx
Make a guess what the final results will be when the votes close at 6 pm tonight. See if you have guessed correctly.
Note - a new simulation will be carried out each day. See if you can predict better as the days go by.
Sorry, wrong number
I searched Google for Flora Vista Shops.
It directed me to http://www.newlaunchportal.com.sg/flora-vista/#register
It showed the developer hotline: 61009876.
I called that number and a man with a happy voice answered.
TKL - Are you the developer for Flora Vista.
Voice - sorry, wrong number.
TKL - I saw this number in the portal.
Voice - sorry, it is the wrong number.
What is happening to Singapore? Is this the way business is being done?
The prices are very high. The rentals are very high. And the customer service is really very bad.
http://www.newlaunchportal.com.sg/flora-vista/#register
E-voting system
I created this website to show how an electronic voting system can work in a country.
I used America as an example. However, the same concept can be used in other countries, including Singapore.
The paper based voting system is inefficient and is liable to fraud.
An e-voting system is also liable to fraud but the fraud can be controlled and monitored.
The approach that I use is to have the votes stored in three separate servers under the control of three independent groups of officials and external auditor.
It would be difficult for any developer or hacker to access all the three servers and manipulate the votes.
There is a process to monitor the votes in all three servers throughout the election day and to report votes that do not match. This allows the officials to be alerted to any potential manipulation.
The home page contains all the links to explain the e-voting process and the control measures.
Which country will be the first to adopt this e-voting process?
Click here.
I used America as an example. However, the same concept can be used in other countries, including Singapore.
The paper based voting system is inefficient and is liable to fraud.
An e-voting system is also liable to fraud but the fraud can be controlled and monitored.
The approach that I use is to have the votes stored in three separate servers under the control of three independent groups of officials and external auditor.
It would be difficult for any developer or hacker to access all the three servers and manipulate the votes.
There is a process to monitor the votes in all three servers throughout the election day and to report votes that do not match. This allows the officials to be alerted to any potential manipulation.
The home page contains all the links to explain the e-voting process and the control measures.
Which country will be the first to adopt this e-voting process?
Click here.
Taxing poor people
There are two effective ways for a government to collect tax from poor people.
1) GST
2) High rental
The Singapore government is excellent at managing these two ways.
But I have a question. Why does this government want to collect so much tax from poor people? Can't they collect the tax from the rich and the high income people?
Oh! They have high income, and don't want to pay too much tax, right? Maybe, they are looking after themselves?
1) GST
2) High rental
The Singapore government is excellent at managing these two ways.
But I have a question. Why does this government want to collect so much tax from poor people? Can't they collect the tax from the rich and the high income people?
Oh! They have high income, and don't want to pay too much tax, right? Maybe, they are looking after themselves?
A new business model
I usually pay $10 for a haircut. Recently, a new salon opened. It offered hair cut for $5 (promotion). I went in.
The barber had 10 years of experience in a salon. He was quite friendly and chatty.
After a while, he told me that my hair was oily. What cream do I use? I told him that I have not used cream, gel or oil for a long time.
He asked if I like a scan of my scalp. He then proceeded to scan my scalp and showed me the result on a screen. He pointed out the area where my scalp was covered by dead cells and where the pores were blocked.
I needed a scalp treatment. I was not sure if the screen showed my scalp or it was some pre-recorded images. No, thank you.
I will not visit that salon any more. This is a new business model, right?
The barber had 10 years of experience in a salon. He was quite friendly and chatty.
After a while, he told me that my hair was oily. What cream do I use? I told him that I have not used cream, gel or oil for a long time.
He asked if I like a scan of my scalp. He then proceeded to scan my scalp and showed me the result on a screen. He pointed out the area where my scalp was covered by dead cells and where the pores were blocked.
I needed a scalp treatment. I was not sure if the screen showed my scalp or it was some pre-recorded images. No, thank you.
I will not visit that salon any more. This is a new business model, right?
An important skill
I spoke to a poly student (girl).
TKL - Do you know how to cook?
Girl - No. I never learn it at home.
TKL - It is an important skill. You should learn it from your mother.
Girl - My mother does not know how to cook.
TKL - Who cooks at home?
Girl - My grandmother.
TKL - You should earn this skill from your grandmother. When you study overseas, you need to cook on your own.
Girl - OK.
TKL - Do you know how to cook?
Girl - No. I never learn it at home.
TKL - It is an important skill. You should learn it from your mother.
Girl - My mother does not know how to cook.
TKL - Who cooks at home?
Girl - My grandmother.
TKL - You should earn this skill from your grandmother. When you study overseas, you need to cook on your own.
Girl - OK.
An excellent process
I visited a shirt distributor located on the same floor as my office in Midview City. The name is Ark Industries. I wanted to buy 10 polo shirts.
The sales manager showed me samples. I selected a suitable type and color.
She does not require me to make any payment or sign a sales order. She would send me a quote and I could accept it by email.
I find this process to be wonderful. This is an excellent company with an excellent process.
Most companies would require me to print out the quotation, sign on it, add a company stamp, and fax it to them.
This company just ask me to accept the quotation by replying to the email. Their quotation contain the full drescription of the product and the terms of the sale. They are well protected by contract.
When I collected the goods, I would pay cash to them. That is all.
Most companies in Singaore have complicated and troublesome process. They make life difficult for their customers. Their troublesome process is unnecessary.
Ark Industries is an exception. They are outstanding.
The sales manager showed me samples. I selected a suitable type and color.
She does not require me to make any payment or sign a sales order. She would send me a quote and I could accept it by email.
I find this process to be wonderful. This is an excellent company with an excellent process.
Most companies would require me to print out the quotation, sign on it, add a company stamp, and fax it to them.
This company just ask me to accept the quotation by replying to the email. Their quotation contain the full drescription of the product and the terms of the sale. They are well protected by contract.
When I collected the goods, I would pay cash to them. That is all.
Most companies in Singaore have complicated and troublesome process. They make life difficult for their customers. Their troublesome process is unnecessary.
Ark Industries is an exception. They are outstanding.
Staff allowed to confess lapses in SMRT
Was it a good approach for SMRT to allow its staff to confess any past wrong doings?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Online queue for iPhone X
Should Apple arrange an online queuing system for its customers to buy the new iPhone X?
Give your vote in www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
A powerful leader in China
Xi Jinping is now the most powerful leader of China. I asked the question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Is this good for the world?
The views of the people voting in this website is overwhelming positive. 53% said that he is a progressive leader and will be good for China and the world. 19% said that he would be good for China but not the world.
28% had a negative view.
You can see the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=337
The views of the people voting in this website is overwhelming positive. 53% said that he is a progressive leader and will be good for China and the world. 19% said that he would be good for China but not the world.
28% had a negative view.
You can see the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=337
PM Lee's visit to America
PM Lee appeared to have a successful visit to America. He made good contacts with President Trump, political leaders and business leaders.
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crwod - Was PM Lee's visit to USA successful so far?
The answer is largely negative. Only 2% said that he made a good impression with the leaders in America. 0% said that he made an impression with President Trump.
You can view the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=336
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crwod - Was PM Lee's visit to USA successful so far?
The answer is largely negative. Only 2% said that he made a good impression with the leaders in America. 0% said that he made an impression with President Trump.
You can view the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=336
Purchase of planes for $19 billion
When PM Lee visited President Trump in Washington, he observed the signing of the purchase of $19 billion of plans for Singapore Airlines. Was the purchase necessary and commercially sensible, considering the challenges facing the airline industry? Was it politically motivated to allow PM Lee to get the recognition from President Trump.
What does the Crowd think? Only 9% think that it was necessary. The other 91% had a negative view about it.
You can see their votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=335
What does the Crowd think? Only 9% think that it was necessary. The other 91% had a negative view about it.
You can see their votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=335
Thursday, November 02, 2017
Multiple payment systems
Many companies are now launching their cashless payments. Is it a good idea?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Prompt reply from Malaysian entity
I sent an email to MPH Publishing in Malaysia to ask where to order the book Malay for Everyone.
They replied the following day.
Quote:
Hi Mr Tan,
For your convenience, you could also order online to be delivered to you: http://www.mphonline.com/books/nsearchdetails.aspx?&pcode=9789679783223
Alternatively, if you are looking to buy in bulk, please contact: customerservice@mph.com.my
Unquote:
I replied to thank MPH Publishing for their prompt reply and excellent customer service.
I am used to get no reponse or a delayed response from businesses and government agencies in Singapore.
It is refreshing when someone (in this case a Malaysian entity) reply promptly.
Wake up Singapore.
They replied the following day.
Quote:
Hi Mr Tan,
For your convenience, you could also order online to be delivered to you: http://www.mphonline.com/books/nsearchdetails.aspx?&pcode=9789679783223
Alternatively, if you are looking to buy in bulk, please contact: customerservice@mph.com.my
Unquote:
I replied to thank MPH Publishing for their prompt reply and excellent customer service.
I am used to get no reponse or a delayed response from businesses and government agencies in Singapore.
It is refreshing when someone (in this case a Malaysian entity) reply promptly.
Wake up Singapore.
Dishonest property agent
The owner of a semi-detached house was in financial difficulty. She needed to sell the property. She approached a neighbor who was a property agent.
The property agent told her that the market was bad. The best price offered was for $2.8 million. The owner accepted the offer and signed the option.
Later, the owner found that the last transacted price for a similar property was $3.2 million. She heard a rumor that the buyer of the property was a relative of the agent and had agreed to pay the agent half of the difference between the actual price and last transacted price.
What can the owner do now?
Here are my tips.
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=532
The property agent told her that the market was bad. The best price offered was for $2.8 million. The owner accepted the offer and signed the option.
Later, the owner found that the last transacted price for a similar property was $3.2 million. She heard a rumor that the buyer of the property was a relative of the agent and had agreed to pay the agent half of the difference between the actual price and last transacted price.
What can the owner do now?
Here are my tips.
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=532
Wednesday, November 01, 2017
Check medical history at time of application
An insurance company manager told me. In Japan, an insurance company checks the medical history of a person before accepting him or her for health insurance. The insurance company is not allowed to reject a medical claim of that person due to non-disclosure of past medical history.
They know that the insured person may not be familiar with the need to declare the past medical history or may not remember about it.
I was told by an ex-Singaporean, who migrated to USA, that the insurance company will send a doctor to examine a policyholder before accepting him or her for health insurance. I am not sure if they do it only for older applicants.
We need to follow the practice adopted in Japan and America.
The insurance company in Singapore should not be allowed to reject a claim on the grounds of alleged non-disclosure of the past medical history.
They know that the insured person may not be familiar with the need to declare the past medical history or may not remember about it.
I was told by an ex-Singaporean, who migrated to USA, that the insurance company will send a doctor to examine a policyholder before accepting him or her for health insurance. I am not sure if they do it only for older applicants.
We need to follow the practice adopted in Japan and America.
The insurance company in Singapore should not be allowed to reject a claim on the grounds of alleged non-disclosure of the past medical history.
Medical charges in Japan
In Japan, the Ministry of Health negotiates the fees with hospitals and doctors for various types of treatment every year. The negotiated fees apply throughout the country. The hospitals are, by law, operated as non-profit entities.
This is an excellent system to control medical cost and still provide good quality.
We have to follow the practice of Japan.
This is an excellent system to control medical cost and still provide good quality.
We have to follow the practice of Japan.
Analyse your data
I get angry when I see this sign in the bus. Why?
I saw this sign for the past two years. The Land Transport Authority is aware of the need to analyse the data to adjust the buses on each service to meet demand.
I also suspect that they are NOT analysing the data. It is obvious to me that some services have more buses than needed and some have less buses than needed. This explains why some buses are relatively empty while others are packed.
By putting up this sign on all buses, is the LTA pushing the blame to commuters? There is a hidden message, "Because some of you do not tap out, we are not able to analyze the data accurately".
This is nonsense. The percentage of commuters who do not tap out is small (maybe less than 10%? They are well distributed over all the services.
Common sense tells me that you can analyse the data and still get quite reliable results for scheduling purpose.
The LTA does not need to pay $400,000 in consulting fees to me (well the government paid this sum for the design of the bin center, right?). I will be happy to help them for FREE, as part of improving the public transport service.
Is LTA interested?
I saw this sign for the past two years. The Land Transport Authority is aware of the need to analyse the data to adjust the buses on each service to meet demand.
I also suspect that they are NOT analysing the data. It is obvious to me that some services have more buses than needed and some have less buses than needed. This explains why some buses are relatively empty while others are packed.
By putting up this sign on all buses, is the LTA pushing the blame to commuters? There is a hidden message, "Because some of you do not tap out, we are not able to analyze the data accurately".
This is nonsense. The percentage of commuters who do not tap out is small (maybe less than 10%? They are well distributed over all the services.
Common sense tells me that you can analyse the data and still get quite reliable results for scheduling purpose.
The LTA does not need to pay $400,000 in consulting fees to me (well the government paid this sum for the design of the bin center, right?). I will be happy to help them for FREE, as part of improving the public transport service.
Is LTA interested?
High rentals
How can the government help the retail and F&B sector to cope with high rentals?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Starting time for schools
Should our schools start at a later hour? Give your views in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Foreign talents
Not all foreigners are "foreign talents" or "FT". This word has been wrong used or can I say abused.
Many are just foreign workers. The news article describes them correctly.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/6-foreign-workers-taken-to-hospital-after-chain-collision-involving-2-tipper-trucks-and
We should not use the term FT to refer to people with employment pass. Many of them are just degree holders from their home countries and the employers obtain an E Pass for them to avoid paying the levy. In some cases, the salary paid to them were inflated to avoid the levy.
We have many graduates of better quality than the E Pass holders but we do not refer to them as "LT" or local talents, right?
I do not like the term "foreign talents" which was created by our former prime minister to justify the large scale import of foreigners into our population. They are not "talents".
Many are just foreign workers. The news article describes them correctly.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/6-foreign-workers-taken-to-hospital-after-chain-collision-involving-2-tipper-trucks-and
We should not use the term FT to refer to people with employment pass. Many of them are just degree holders from their home countries and the employers obtain an E Pass for them to avoid paying the levy. In some cases, the salary paid to them were inflated to avoid the levy.
We have many graduates of better quality than the E Pass holders but we do not refer to them as "LT" or local talents, right?
I do not like the term "foreign talents" which was created by our former prime minister to justify the large scale import of foreigners into our population. They are not "talents".
Tan Kin Lian
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Be prepared for higher premiums under Integrated Plans
I encourage the older people to opt for Medishield Life, rather than an Integrated Plan.
Here are my reasons.
When they go for treatment in a private hospital, they charges are about three times of the average charge in a public hospital. For complicated cases, the charges can be much higher.
The private hospitals are operated for profit. When they see that the patient is insured, they are likely to increase the charges to the amount that is covered by insurance.
Remember. You are not the only person that is covered by private insurance. Other people are also covered by private insurance.
If they go to private hospital and pay a large medical bill, who really pays the bill? Sure, it is the insurance company. But the insurance company does not run a charity, right?
The insurance company is run for profit. If they pay a large bill, they will hike their premium to cover the past losses and to prepare for future claims.
So, the premium for Integrated Plan is likely to increase by a lot. And the increase is to cover the expensive bills. If you do not incur them, you will still have to pay for the expensive bills incurred by other insured persons.
The only way to keep medical cost at a reasonable level is for the government to control the charges. But our government is not doing this. They prefer to leave the charges to the "free market".
The free market is likely to mean that the medical bills will keep increasing, without control.
You will find your premiums for the Integrated Plans incease sharply. Even if you do not go to hospital, you are paying for the medical bills of other patients. It can be very costly for older people.
If you wish to keep the cost at an affordable level, you can downgrade to Medishield Life.
However, if you find that the premium is still affordable, you can continue to be insured under the Integrated Plan. But remember to expect the premium to keep incrteasing at a high rate.
Tan Kin Lian
Here are my reasons.
When they go for treatment in a private hospital, they charges are about three times of the average charge in a public hospital. For complicated cases, the charges can be much higher.
The private hospitals are operated for profit. When they see that the patient is insured, they are likely to increase the charges to the amount that is covered by insurance.
Remember. You are not the only person that is covered by private insurance. Other people are also covered by private insurance.
If they go to private hospital and pay a large medical bill, who really pays the bill? Sure, it is the insurance company. But the insurance company does not run a charity, right?
The insurance company is run for profit. If they pay a large bill, they will hike their premium to cover the past losses and to prepare for future claims.
So, the premium for Integrated Plan is likely to increase by a lot. And the increase is to cover the expensive bills. If you do not incur them, you will still have to pay for the expensive bills incurred by other insured persons.
The only way to keep medical cost at a reasonable level is for the government to control the charges. But our government is not doing this. They prefer to leave the charges to the "free market".
The free market is likely to mean that the medical bills will keep increasing, without control.
You will find your premiums for the Integrated Plans incease sharply. Even if you do not go to hospital, you are paying for the medical bills of other patients. It can be very costly for older people.
If you wish to keep the cost at an affordable level, you can downgrade to Medishield Life.
However, if you find that the premium is still affordable, you can continue to be insured under the Integrated Plan. But remember to expect the premium to keep incrteasing at a high rate.
Tan Kin Lian
Limited stop bus service
Do you like the bus services to stop every 2 km and for the intermediate stops to be served by a feeder bus?
Give your views in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your views in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Floating Platform
Do you like the Marina Bay floating platform to be used for future National Day Parade?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Performance scores of government leaders
President Halimah has improved her rating. She is now slightly more popular than PM Lee.
Surprise! I thought PM Lee did well in his visit to America. Maybe, he will get a higher score over the next two weeks.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx…
Minister Chan Chun Sing is performing poorly. His score dropped quite sharply the past two weeks.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx…
Ministers Grace Fu and Josephine Teo continued to get lower scores.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx…
Surprise! I thought PM Lee did well in his visit to America. Maybe, he will get a higher score over the next two weeks.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx…
Minister Chan Chun Sing is performing poorly. His score dropped quite sharply the past two weeks.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx…
Ministers Grace Fu and Josephine Teo continued to get lower scores.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx…
Downtown Line 3
Downtown Line 3 opened with two minor delays.
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Would you consider the opening of Downtown Line 3 to be a success?
70% of the people who voted have a negative view of the delays. They find it to be not acceptable.
Read the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=334
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Would you consider the opening of Downtown Line 3 to be a success?
70% of the people who voted have a negative view of the delays. They find it to be not acceptable.
Read the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=334
Fake news
The government is quite agitated about fake news. They want to pass a law to deal with this problem.
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - What can be done about fake news?
The answer is somewhat surprising, and is quite different from the approach of the government. Basically, the common sense of the ordinary people says - What is the problem?
Read the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=333
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - What can be done about fake news?
The answer is somewhat surprising, and is quite different from the approach of the government. Basically, the common sense of the ordinary people says - What is the problem?
Read the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=333
Peace of mind becomes a nightmare
If you need medical attention, you want the best that you can afford, right?
You want to go to a private hospital so that you do not have to wait in the queue. You can also choose the doctor to treat you. The doctor must be a person who is competent and who you can trust.
It can be a matter of life and death, and you want to get the best for yourself or your family.
The trouble is that it can be quite expensive to be treated in a private hospital. The bill can be three times of a similar treatment in a public hospital. For more complicated cases, it can be much more than three times.
What is the solution to afford the expensive treatment. Of course, buy an integrated plan to cover treatment in a private hospital. Also, buy a rider so that you do not have to pay anything. The insurance company take care of all the medical bills.
The integrated plan is wonderful, isn't it? Sure, the premium is expensive, but it is better to have "peace of mind", right?
The peace of mind can be a nightmare. Let me share the story of Mrs X.
Mrs X was an elderly lady. She was not educated and does not know about insurance and integrated plan. She was covered under basic Medishield for years.
An insurance agent advised her to upgrade to an integrated plan that provides coverage in a private hospital. The agent told her that she does not have to pay any money for the upgrading. That is only partly true, because the higher premium comes out of the Medisave savings.
A year later, Mrs. X found that she had colon cancer. She went to a public hospital for treatment. She was advised to go to a private hospital as it was covered under the integrated plan. Her family checked with the insurance company and was told that the integrated plan would cover the cost of the treatment fully.
Mrs. X incurred a bill of $300,000 for the treatment. It turned out to be quite a complicated case. Her daughter submitted the bill to the insurance company on her behalf.
The daughter was shocked to learn that the insurance company rejected the claim on the grounds that Mrs. X did not disclose that she had diabetes when she upgraded to the integrated plan. Mrs. X said that she had relied on the insurance agent to handle the upgrading. Being not well educated, she was not familiar with the requirements of the insurance company.
I advised the daughter on how to write the appeal to the insurance company. I lost touch with her as she did not come back to me. I hope that her appeal was successful.
I have come across other cases of rejected claims due to alleged non-disclosure when the consumers upgraded to an integrated plan. The consumers had relied on the insurance agent to handle the upgrading.
Many people think that an integrated plan is a god send to meet the high cost of private medical treatment. They may not realize that it could turn out to be a financial disaster, when their expensive medical bill is rejected by the insurance company and they have to foot it on their own.
Tan Kin Lian
You want to go to a private hospital so that you do not have to wait in the queue. You can also choose the doctor to treat you. The doctor must be a person who is competent and who you can trust.
It can be a matter of life and death, and you want to get the best for yourself or your family.
The trouble is that it can be quite expensive to be treated in a private hospital. The bill can be three times of a similar treatment in a public hospital. For more complicated cases, it can be much more than three times.
What is the solution to afford the expensive treatment. Of course, buy an integrated plan to cover treatment in a private hospital. Also, buy a rider so that you do not have to pay anything. The insurance company take care of all the medical bills.
The integrated plan is wonderful, isn't it? Sure, the premium is expensive, but it is better to have "peace of mind", right?
The peace of mind can be a nightmare. Let me share the story of Mrs X.
Mrs X was an elderly lady. She was not educated and does not know about insurance and integrated plan. She was covered under basic Medishield for years.
An insurance agent advised her to upgrade to an integrated plan that provides coverage in a private hospital. The agent told her that she does not have to pay any money for the upgrading. That is only partly true, because the higher premium comes out of the Medisave savings.
A year later, Mrs. X found that she had colon cancer. She went to a public hospital for treatment. She was advised to go to a private hospital as it was covered under the integrated plan. Her family checked with the insurance company and was told that the integrated plan would cover the cost of the treatment fully.
Mrs. X incurred a bill of $300,000 for the treatment. It turned out to be quite a complicated case. Her daughter submitted the bill to the insurance company on her behalf.
The daughter was shocked to learn that the insurance company rejected the claim on the grounds that Mrs. X did not disclose that she had diabetes when she upgraded to the integrated plan. Mrs. X said that she had relied on the insurance agent to handle the upgrading. Being not well educated, she was not familiar with the requirements of the insurance company.
I advised the daughter on how to write the appeal to the insurance company. I lost touch with her as she did not come back to me. I hope that her appeal was successful.
I have come across other cases of rejected claims due to alleged non-disclosure when the consumers upgraded to an integrated plan. The consumers had relied on the insurance agent to handle the upgrading.
Many people think that an integrated plan is a god send to meet the high cost of private medical treatment. They may not realize that it could turn out to be a financial disaster, when their expensive medical bill is rejected by the insurance company and they have to foot it on their own.
Tan Kin Lian
Monday, October 30, 2017
The flooded tunnel
Many people looked at the flooded tunnel on 7 Oct 2017 as another breakdown of the MRT system.
I see a more worrisome picture. It shows the rot that underlies Lee HL's governing of Singapore. They include the culture of avoiding responsibility, finding excuses, not taking charge, and other bad habits. I considered it to be a serious disease.
Read this article
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1420
I see a more worrisome picture. It shows the rot that underlies Lee HL's governing of Singapore. They include the culture of avoiding responsibility, finding excuses, not taking charge, and other bad habits. I considered it to be a serious disease.
Read this article
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1420
Failed to adderss the main issue
My letter in the Straits Times was published on 10 October.
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=521
The Life Insurance Assocation took 20 days to give this reply. The reply did not address the main point contained in my earler letter. This is dishonest.
REPLY
The Life Insurance Association Singapore thanks Mr Tan Kin Lian (Unfair to reject claims due to past medical conditions; Oct 10) and Ms Shelby Doshi (Don't penalise customer for insurance agent's failing; Forum Online, Oct 12) for their feedback on health insurance claims.
Customers need to take personal responsibility and disclose any existing medical conditions and their health status, as insurers are not in a position to have such knowledge.
An insurance policy is a legally binding contract based on utmost good faith on the part of the applicant.
Insurers will not unreasonably reject a claim or treat a policy as if it had never been issued unless the applicant did not provide "material" information.
Section 25(5) of the Insurance Act states that "no Singapore insurer shall use, in the course of carrying on insurance business in Singapore, a form of proposal which does not have prominently displayed therein a warning that if a proposer does not fully and faithfully give the facts as he knows them or ought to know them, he may receive nothing from the policy".
Supposing claims made by policyholders who had chosen not to disclose their medical condition or health status in their applications are paid, it means that the other policyholders end up paying higher premiums in the future.
Insurers assess applications before granting cover.
If nothing is disclosed, there is no basis for the insurer to carry out further checks.
The application will be underwritten based on the declarations (including "nothing to declare") made in the form.
Applicants with declared medical conditions will be told of what is not claimable (that is, excluded) under their policy.
Insurers owe a duty to all policyholders to ensure fairness and equity.
Hence, insurers check for material non-disclosure before paying claims.
Pre-existing conditions are covered by the MediShield Life component of Integrated Shield Plans but are not covered by the private insurance component of Integrated Shield Plans.
If the policyholder says he was not aware of his medical condition existing at the time of application or the need to declare it in the application, the exclusion clause kicks in if his medical records show that he already had signs or symptoms, or had received advice, diagnosis or treatment before commencement of the insurance.
If the applicant fully and faithfully declared his medical history, a claim for the disclosed condition will not be rejected.
If exclusions were imposed on the medical condition declared, then the claim cannot be paid.
For upgraded plans, the insurer will apply any new underwriting terms to the upgraded benefit limits.
Where the non-disclosed medical condition arose after the original plan had commenced, claims will be based on the original plan.
Pauline Lim (Ms)
Executive Director
Life Insurance Association Singapore
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=521
The Life Insurance Assocation took 20 days to give this reply. The reply did not address the main point contained in my earler letter. This is dishonest.
REPLY
The Life Insurance Association Singapore thanks Mr Tan Kin Lian (Unfair to reject claims due to past medical conditions; Oct 10) and Ms Shelby Doshi (Don't penalise customer for insurance agent's failing; Forum Online, Oct 12) for their feedback on health insurance claims.
Customers need to take personal responsibility and disclose any existing medical conditions and their health status, as insurers are not in a position to have such knowledge.
An insurance policy is a legally binding contract based on utmost good faith on the part of the applicant.
Insurers will not unreasonably reject a claim or treat a policy as if it had never been issued unless the applicant did not provide "material" information.
Section 25(5) of the Insurance Act states that "no Singapore insurer shall use, in the course of carrying on insurance business in Singapore, a form of proposal which does not have prominently displayed therein a warning that if a proposer does not fully and faithfully give the facts as he knows them or ought to know them, he may receive nothing from the policy".
Supposing claims made by policyholders who had chosen not to disclose their medical condition or health status in their applications are paid, it means that the other policyholders end up paying higher premiums in the future.
Insurers assess applications before granting cover.
If nothing is disclosed, there is no basis for the insurer to carry out further checks.
The application will be underwritten based on the declarations (including "nothing to declare") made in the form.
Applicants with declared medical conditions will be told of what is not claimable (that is, excluded) under their policy.
Insurers owe a duty to all policyholders to ensure fairness and equity.
Hence, insurers check for material non-disclosure before paying claims.
Pre-existing conditions are covered by the MediShield Life component of Integrated Shield Plans but are not covered by the private insurance component of Integrated Shield Plans.
If the policyholder says he was not aware of his medical condition existing at the time of application or the need to declare it in the application, the exclusion clause kicks in if his medical records show that he already had signs or symptoms, or had received advice, diagnosis or treatment before commencement of the insurance.
If the applicant fully and faithfully declared his medical history, a claim for the disclosed condition will not be rejected.
If exclusions were imposed on the medical condition declared, then the claim cannot be paid.
For upgraded plans, the insurer will apply any new underwriting terms to the upgraded benefit limits.
Where the non-disclosed medical condition arose after the original plan had commenced, claims will be based on the original plan.
Pauline Lim (Ms)
Executive Director
Life Insurance Association Singapore
Hike in private shield premiums
The Business Times reported the large losses incurred by the six insurers of the Integrated Plans during the past two years. Here is a table showing the results.
While the results for the past two years were bad, the results for a longer period of 10 years was actually quite good. Most of these insurers made a healthy profit over this longer period.
Consumers can expect the premiums for the Integrated Plans to be hiked by double digit figures over the next two years. They should be prepared for further hikes in the future, as the insurers struggle to manage the escalating cost of medical bills.
While the results for the past two years were bad, the results for a longer period of 10 years was actually quite good. Most of these insurers made a healthy profit over this longer period.
Consumers can expect the premiums for the Integrated Plans to be hiked by double digit figures over the next two years. They should be prepared for further hikes in the future, as the insurers struggle to manage the escalating cost of medical bills.
What can consumers do? I suggest that they should downgrade to the basic plan, i.e. Medishield Life.
I have done so, for the past few years. I do not want to give tens of millions of profit to the insurers during the good years and to suffer double digit hikes in premium during the bad years.
I will be covered under Medishield Life for the catastrophic illnesses. If I have to go for private treatment, I will pay the higher charges from my savings.
Maybe, more consumers can consider the option that I have taken.
I have done so, for the past few years. I do not want to give tens of millions of profit to the insurers during the good years and to suffer double digit hikes in premium during the bad years.
I will be covered under Medishield Life for the catastrophic illnesses. If I have to go for private treatment, I will pay the higher charges from my savings.
Maybe, more consumers can consider the option that I have taken.
A full time career in SAF
I met a young man who would soon be called up for full time national service.
His family is in financial difficulty. He now helps his mother to operate a stall, but when he is called up, his mother will find it difficult to employ an assistant for the stall.
I suggested to the young man that he should sign up as a full time soldier and earn a normal salary.
He holds a N certificate and wondered if this would affect his chance of getting a good vocation in the SAF.
My view is that the SAF needs people who are willing to be soldiers out in the field, including commandoes. Many Singaporeans do not want this kind of work. If he is willing to do it, he would get a good chance of being selected.
The SAF also provides good training for their full time soldiers. He can improve his education and skills through these training courses. He would have a good opportunity to advance in the SAF career.
He asked if it is possible for a full time solder to earn enough to raise a family. I believe so. I have seen many full time solders, who were below the officer ranks, and were able to raise a family.
Do you agree with my view on this matter? I do not really know the work conditions in the SAF for ordinary soldiers, but I think it should be quite good. Right?
His family is in financial difficulty. He now helps his mother to operate a stall, but when he is called up, his mother will find it difficult to employ an assistant for the stall.
I suggested to the young man that he should sign up as a full time soldier and earn a normal salary.
He holds a N certificate and wondered if this would affect his chance of getting a good vocation in the SAF.
My view is that the SAF needs people who are willing to be soldiers out in the field, including commandoes. Many Singaporeans do not want this kind of work. If he is willing to do it, he would get a good chance of being selected.
The SAF also provides good training for their full time soldiers. He can improve his education and skills through these training courses. He would have a good opportunity to advance in the SAF career.
He asked if it is possible for a full time solder to earn enough to raise a family. I believe so. I have seen many full time solders, who were below the officer ranks, and were able to raise a family.
Do you agree with my view on this matter? I do not really know the work conditions in the SAF for ordinary soldiers, but I think it should be quite good. Right?
For the good of the country
Rachel Ash said:
Mr. Tan. I am curious when or where is the threshold is before the general population realized there is something not quite right in the running of many of these government linked companies? Will it be too late then?
The general population does not appear to have a consistent yardstick when they assess the performance of the ruling party and opposition parties. They appear more forgiving to the ruling party but yet held the opposition parties to a much higher standard.
Used to be the issues often arise from policies but today it seems issues include the ruling party (as observed from comments from social media) - party agendas, play with words, double standards, in-fighting, riding with arrogance on the coat-tails of founding fathers, many new leaders were not elected as such by the people but too often riding on the coat tails of their senior members.
Then these same are parachuted to senior post in the cabinets, earning full salaries while on the job training.
We shouldn't look so far as the MRT but instead we should look at the source of the problem and where the culture is infecting slowly but surely throughout the island.
We really need a fresh direction be with the ruling party or a new two or three parties government. PM said he is likely to step down in about 2 years time and the successor will come from cabinet but are there any members in the parliament who is able to command the respect of the majority of our people.
For the good of country, we need to look pass ego, one-up showmanship, personal/party agenda, non-transparency, non-accountability, divisive policies and etc.
Regardless of race, language or religion we are still one people and that is they way we were brought up and let it be so till the end of times.
TKL'S VIEWS:
I agree with the views expressed by Rachel Ash.
Mr. Tan. I am curious when or where is the threshold is before the general population realized there is something not quite right in the running of many of these government linked companies? Will it be too late then?
The general population does not appear to have a consistent yardstick when they assess the performance of the ruling party and opposition parties. They appear more forgiving to the ruling party but yet held the opposition parties to a much higher standard.
Used to be the issues often arise from policies but today it seems issues include the ruling party (as observed from comments from social media) - party agendas, play with words, double standards, in-fighting, riding with arrogance on the coat-tails of founding fathers, many new leaders were not elected as such by the people but too often riding on the coat tails of their senior members.
Then these same are parachuted to senior post in the cabinets, earning full salaries while on the job training.
We shouldn't look so far as the MRT but instead we should look at the source of the problem and where the culture is infecting slowly but surely throughout the island.
We really need a fresh direction be with the ruling party or a new two or three parties government. PM said he is likely to step down in about 2 years time and the successor will come from cabinet but are there any members in the parliament who is able to command the respect of the majority of our people.
For the good of country, we need to look pass ego, one-up showmanship, personal/party agenda, non-transparency, non-accountability, divisive policies and etc.
Regardless of race, language or religion we are still one people and that is they way we were brought up and let it be so till the end of times.
TKL'S VIEWS:
I agree with the views expressed by Rachel Ash.
Food security
Will Singapore face a challenge of food security in the future?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Independent news websites
A few independent news websites started during the past years. They had to close down due to "lack of funding". The latest casualty is "The Middle Ground". An earlier casualty was "Inconvenient Questions".
These professinally run news websites had to incur high cost in employing journalists, editors and photographers. They were not able to get readers to subscribe and pay for their news. They did not get enough online advertisements to support their operations.
So, they closed down.
It is easy for individuals and volunteers to give their opinions in blogs and Facebook profiles. Usually, these are opinions and are different from journalism. Journalism are based on interviews with people who are directly affected by an event.
With the closing down of the independent news websites, we are now left with the maintream media for these news. This is not healthy. We need an independent source of news which is not controlled by the establishment or their advertisers.
How can we help the independent news websites to be sustainable?
These professinally run news websites had to incur high cost in employing journalists, editors and photographers. They were not able to get readers to subscribe and pay for their news. They did not get enough online advertisements to support their operations.
So, they closed down.
It is easy for individuals and volunteers to give their opinions in blogs and Facebook profiles. Usually, these are opinions and are different from journalism. Journalism are based on interviews with people who are directly affected by an event.
With the closing down of the independent news websites, we are now left with the maintream media for these news. This is not healthy. We need an independent source of news which is not controlled by the establishment or their advertisers.
How can we help the independent news websites to be sustainable?
PM Lee's visit to America
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Will PM Lee make a big blunder in his visit to America? This was raised before the visit.
52% of the people voting in the website said that he has learnt his lesson and will avoid saying things that offend other people. 42% expect him to say something that will offend China.
The visit has passed. So far, it has been successful. He had received nice words from President Trump and no negative reaction from China.
Here are the detailed breakdown of the votes:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=332
52% of the people voting in the website said that he has learnt his lesson and will avoid saying things that offend other people. 42% expect him to say something that will offend China.
The visit has passed. So far, it has been successful. He had received nice words from President Trump and no negative reaction from China.
Here are the detailed breakdown of the votes:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=332
Online version of Today paper
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Do you like the online version of Today paper?
69% of the people who voted said that they will not get sufficient advertising revenue to cover their cost and that it is a waste of resource to run this website to duplicate the Straits Times.
This is discouraging.
Here is a breakdown of the votes:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=331
69% of the people who voted said that they will not get sufficient advertising revenue to cover their cost and that it is a waste of resource to run this website to duplicate the Straits Times.
This is discouraging.
Here is a breakdown of the votes:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=331
Downtown Line 3
I asked this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd - Is the successful start of Downtown Line 3 a good sign for the future of our MRT?
73% of the people voting said - it is too early to tell. This is not encouraging. It shows a low level of confidence in our train system.
See the berakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=330
73% of the people voting said - it is too early to tell. This is not encouraging. It shows a low level of confidence in our train system.
See the berakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=330
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Grassroots Club
The health center in the Grassroots Club has been under renovation for the past six months.
I called the Club to ask when will the health center be ready for use. The staff replied, "We do not know when. We will inform members when it is ready. It is likely to be in November".
I asked, "We are now at the end of October. Do you mean that you still do not know when is the likely handover date? "
It is easy for people to say "We don't know". In that way, they cannot make a mistake. But it is not helpful. A more helpful answer is "The contractor is likely to hand over the facilities by (date). We expect it to be ready for use by (date)".
Sure, Singapore can continue the typical approach - "We don't know" and "We don't want to take any responsibility". When will be change our approach?
I called the Club to ask when will the health center be ready for use. The staff replied, "We do not know when. We will inform members when it is ready. It is likely to be in November".
I asked, "We are now at the end of October. Do you mean that you still do not know when is the likely handover date? "
It is easy for people to say "We don't know". In that way, they cannot make a mistake. But it is not helpful. A more helpful answer is "The contractor is likely to hand over the facilities by (date). We expect it to be ready for use by (date)".
Sure, Singapore can continue the typical approach - "We don't know" and "We don't want to take any responsibility". When will be change our approach?
The Middle Ground
When are your views about the closing down of the independent new website that is run professionally, i.e. The Middle Ground.
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
CET for adult workers
The government wants to expand the Continuing Educational Training (CET) for adult workers.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/funding-universities-masters-programmes-be-reviewed-moe-invests-more-short-training
My view is that it will have a limited impact. Why?
They have already put in much effort in the current SkillsFuture program. It did not seem to produce much results.
Sure, many people have attended the SkillsFuture courses and found them to be useful. But it did not help them to get the jobs that they like to have. They really want to continue to be gainfully employed.
It may be a good way to pass the time and even to acquire some useful skills. But the real goal must be to gain employment, right?
Is there a way for the government to achieve a better outcome? In my view, there is a better way. They have to adopt a different approach.
What is this different approach? They can learn from Germany. Germany has an apprenticeship system for young workers. It worked extremely well and make Germany into a successful industrial nation with workers possessing strong technical skills.
How can the German apprenticeship system apply to the CET prograqm that the government is trying to develop?
If Mr. Ong Ye Kung wants to know my answer, he can ask his scholar to contact me. I will share my views on how to make the CET succesful. I will show how the German apprenticeship system can be applied here.
If not, let the minister waste another few years and achieve no result.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/funding-universities-masters-programmes-be-reviewed-moe-invests-more-short-training
My view is that it will have a limited impact. Why?
They have already put in much effort in the current SkillsFuture program. It did not seem to produce much results.
Sure, many people have attended the SkillsFuture courses and found them to be useful. But it did not help them to get the jobs that they like to have. They really want to continue to be gainfully employed.
It may be a good way to pass the time and even to acquire some useful skills. But the real goal must be to gain employment, right?
Is there a way for the government to achieve a better outcome? In my view, there is a better way. They have to adopt a different approach.
What is this different approach? They can learn from Germany. Germany has an apprenticeship system for young workers. It worked extremely well and make Germany into a successful industrial nation with workers possessing strong technical skills.
How can the German apprenticeship system apply to the CET prograqm that the government is trying to develop?
If Mr. Ong Ye Kung wants to know my answer, he can ask his scholar to contact me. I will share my views on how to make the CET succesful. I will show how the German apprenticeship system can be applied here.
If not, let the minister waste another few years and achieve no result.
A narrow perspective
Do Singaporeans have a narrow perspective on issues affecting their future?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Funding for Masters' program
Should the government reduce funding for Masters program and use the money for short term courses?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Dispute in the Lee family
PM Lee has an unresolved dispute with his younger brother and sister over the wishes of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, as stated in his will.
I asked the question - what is the best way for the siblings to resolve this dispute.
52% of the people who voted said that PM Lee, as the elder brother, has to reach out to his younger siblings to resolve the dispute.
The other people chose other options.
See a detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=329
I asked the question - what is the best way for the siblings to resolve this dispute.
52% of the people who voted said that PM Lee, as the elder brother, has to reach out to his younger siblings to resolve the dispute.
The other people chose other options.
See a detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=329
Buying a product from a friend
Somebody asked me to pose this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - When you buy something from a friend, do you expect to get a special discount
64% of the people who replied said that it is okay to be treated as an average customer. They do not expect any special discount from a friend.
See the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=328
64% of the people who replied said that it is okay to be treated as an average customer. They do not expect any special discount from a friend.
See the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=328
A national identity system for America
America does not have a national identity card. They claim that it is to protect privacy of their citizens. But they overlook the obvious disadvantages and problems that it posed.
They need to have a separate system to register their voters. These voter have to bring documents to prove their identity. Some of these documents are not available or could be faked.
They need to register their citizens when they apply for a passport to travel anyway.
Without a national identity system, they have to rely on the Social Security number that is given to each resident. However, there is no photo or fingerprint tied in to the SS number. How can a person prove ownership of the SS number?
The lack of a reliable national identity system is the cause of many online fraud involving the use of a social security number.
It is not difficult to implement a national identity system, using their social security number. When a person applies for a bank account or a driver licence, they have to provide documents to prove their identity and link it to their social security number. They can provide a photo or a fingerprint at that time.
This can be registered in a government website. It can be used as a national identity system. They could be some fraudulent practices involved in this system (as no system is fool proof). As each fraudulent of the social security number , the record can be verified and corrected.
More importantly, for the cases that are accepted (which is likely to be more than 99%), the convenience of a verified identity is overwhelming. It outweighs the rise of "invasion of privacy".
They need to have a separate system to register their voters. These voter have to bring documents to prove their identity. Some of these documents are not available or could be faked.
They need to register their citizens when they apply for a passport to travel anyway.
Without a national identity system, they have to rely on the Social Security number that is given to each resident. However, there is no photo or fingerprint tied in to the SS number. How can a person prove ownership of the SS number?
The lack of a reliable national identity system is the cause of many online fraud involving the use of a social security number.
It is not difficult to implement a national identity system, using their social security number. When a person applies for a bank account or a driver licence, they have to provide documents to prove their identity and link it to their social security number. They can provide a photo or a fingerprint at that time.
This can be registered in a government website. It can be used as a national identity system. They could be some fraudulent practices involved in this system (as no system is fool proof). As each fraudulent of the social security number , the record can be verified and corrected.
More importantly, for the cases that are accepted (which is likely to be more than 99%), the convenience of a verified identity is overwhelming. It outweighs the rise of "invasion of privacy".
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Voter suppression
There are complaints of "voter suppression" in several states in America. There are regulations adopted by the states ostensibly to prevent fraud in voting, but have the result of preventing legitimate voters (especially from minority groups) in casting their votes.
These regulations state that the voters have to register way ahead of the voting day and to provide documents to prove their identity. Many people missed the registration deadline or could not produce the documents. So, they were denied the right to vote as citizens.
Singapore has a simple system. We already have our NRIC. We are supposed to register our residential address, which is used to indicate the constituency for voting.
But the problem faced in America of voter registration is quite daunting. This cause doubts on the exercise of democracy.
These regulations state that the voters have to register way ahead of the voting day and to provide documents to prove their identity. Many people missed the registration deadline or could not produce the documents. So, they were denied the right to vote as citizens.
Singapore has a simple system. We already have our NRIC. We are supposed to register our residential address, which is used to indicate the constituency for voting.
But the problem faced in America of voter registration is quite daunting. This cause doubts on the exercise of democracy.
A secure e-voting system
There was a news report that someone filed a suit in Americal to have a recount of the votes in a certain voting district. After the suit was filed, they found that the server was wiped clean and the recount could not be carried out.
The proposed solution was to go back to paper voting slips.
It is a retrograde step. There is a way to deal with the security of the e-voting slips, to prevent these slips from being wiped out from the server. What is this solution?
I believe that the voting in elections should be done electronically, but the voting authority should find a secure way to prevent the tampering of the e-voting results. It can be done effectively.
So, what is the solution?
The proposed solution was to go back to paper voting slips.
It is a retrograde step. There is a way to deal with the security of the e-voting slips, to prevent these slips from being wiped out from the server. What is this solution?
I believe that the voting in elections should be done electronically, but the voting authority should find a secure way to prevent the tampering of the e-voting results. It can be done effectively.
So, what is the solution?
Daniel Yong's Article #2 - Culture and Empowerment
Hi Kin Lian,
The previous article drew comments about mind sets and behaviours. And that these differences come about due to differences in "culture". That's absolutely right.
In this article I'll like to touch on Hofstede's research on organisational culture. This may seem a little dry but bear with me. There's some practical application too. Hofstede identified a number of "dimensions of culture" that he could describe that were different among people from different countries.
Today I'll just touch on one - Power Distance. Without getting too technical, Hofstede's Power distance Index measures the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above.
In the case of the airline first officers questioning their captains, I see that as merely discussing a problem and situation and voicing uneasiness. To me that's part of the learning by be able to question and ask why. In asking why you also find out why not and can gain from the experience of others. That includes critical thinking (but we'll talk about that another day). Back to questioning - In my opinion, such discussions are very useful in complex situations which are not time-critical e.g. planning for organisational change.
Australia has one of the lowest "power distance index" of all countries in the study. As such, there is an expectation both for management to consult and for those managed to be consulted. If anything, such consultation brings together the collective experience of everyone in the organisation. It's like "wisdom of the crowd" except in this case you are also consulting with people who face the issues or situation you want to improve upon and have a personal stake in successful implementation.
This consultation in my view also generates organisational buy in. Simply people are more supportive of changes or decisions made if they have been part of the process and have influenced those decisions. This also improves morale. It gives people a sense that they can make a change. Management people call this "empowerment".
I don't know how common these terms are in Singapore or how much empowerment there is, but I think Singaporeans need to open their eyes a little bit more and look at what other jurisdictions are doing and how they are engaging their people.
I think when you were CEO of NTUC Income, you made some decisions that also empowered your staff. Singapore should do more of this. In doing so, we will begin to encourage more thinking and less doing things by "robot mode" or SOP. But more on that another day.
Cheers,
Daniel Yong
The previous article drew comments about mind sets and behaviours. And that these differences come about due to differences in "culture". That's absolutely right.
In this article I'll like to touch on Hofstede's research on organisational culture. This may seem a little dry but bear with me. There's some practical application too. Hofstede identified a number of "dimensions of culture" that he could describe that were different among people from different countries.
Today I'll just touch on one - Power Distance. Without getting too technical, Hofstede's Power distance Index measures the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above.
In the case of the airline first officers questioning their captains, I see that as merely discussing a problem and situation and voicing uneasiness. To me that's part of the learning by be able to question and ask why. In asking why you also find out why not and can gain from the experience of others. That includes critical thinking (but we'll talk about that another day). Back to questioning - In my opinion, such discussions are very useful in complex situations which are not time-critical e.g. planning for organisational change.
Australia has one of the lowest "power distance index" of all countries in the study. As such, there is an expectation both for management to consult and for those managed to be consulted. If anything, such consultation brings together the collective experience of everyone in the organisation. It's like "wisdom of the crowd" except in this case you are also consulting with people who face the issues or situation you want to improve upon and have a personal stake in successful implementation.
This consultation in my view also generates organisational buy in. Simply people are more supportive of changes or decisions made if they have been part of the process and have influenced those decisions. This also improves morale. It gives people a sense that they can make a change. Management people call this "empowerment".
I don't know how common these terms are in Singapore or how much empowerment there is, but I think Singaporeans need to open their eyes a little bit more and look at what other jurisdictions are doing and how they are engaging their people.
I think when you were CEO of NTUC Income, you made some decisions that also empowered your staff. Singapore should do more of this. In doing so, we will begin to encourage more thinking and less doing things by "robot mode" or SOP. But more on that another day.
Cheers,
Daniel Yong
Prospects for Singapore economy
Do you expect the Singapore economy to improve in the near future?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Bad for Singapore
Would Li Hongyi's entry into politics be good for Singapore?
87% of the people who voted in The Wisdom of the Crowd said "no" for three main reasons. It was an overwhelming vote. 13% said "yes".
You can view the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=327
You can fool some of the people some of the time. But you cannot fool all the people all of the time, right?
87% of the people who voted in The Wisdom of the Crowd said "no" for three main reasons. It was an overwhelming vote. 13% said "yes".
You can view the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=327
You can fool some of the people some of the time. But you cannot fool all the people all of the time, right?
Will Li Hongyi be in cabinet?
Do you expect Li Hong Yi to be in the cabinet in the near future?
58% of the people who voted in the Wisdom of the Crowd expected him to be in the cabinet within 10 years. 42% said that he would not be in the cabinet.
See the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=326
58% of the people who voted in the Wisdom of the Crowd expected him to be in the cabinet within 10 years. 42% said that he would not be in the cabinet.
See the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=326
Friday, October 27, 2017
King Bhumipol of Thailand
Why was the previous King Bhumibol of Thailand so much loved by the people?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Poor display at bus
I took bus 67 from Little India station to Park Royal Hotel in Kitchener Road.
The app told me that I should get down at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, 3 stops later.
As this bus was operated by SBS, it did not have a display of the bus stop.
I stood near the exit to watch the bus stop display on the fare meter.
As it approached my stop, it still showed Broadway Hotel. I decided to get down at the stop after Kitchener Road, even though it did not display the name of the temple. Apparently, the GPS was not working well.
I am reminded again about the poor display and the lack of attention by the Land Transport Authority on this issue, even though I raised it with them many times. I suggested that the bus should show the sequential stop number. I would have taken note of the SSN of the temple and got down at the correct stop.
I also raised it with the transport minister, but it was useless. He did not care.
The app told me that I should get down at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, 3 stops later.
As this bus was operated by SBS, it did not have a display of the bus stop.
I stood near the exit to watch the bus stop display on the fare meter.
As it approached my stop, it still showed Broadway Hotel. I decided to get down at the stop after Kitchener Road, even though it did not display the name of the temple. Apparently, the GPS was not working well.
I am reminded again about the poor display and the lack of attention by the Land Transport Authority on this issue, even though I raised it with them many times. I suggested that the bus should show the sequential stop number. I would have taken note of the SSN of the temple and got down at the correct stop.
I also raised it with the transport minister, but it was useless. He did not care.
Difference between retrenchment and redundancy
Mr Tan
Recently a friend, age 60 worked with Company X for 30 years was 'redundant' stated in the letter, guess what was her package? @ 8 months payout. The company was smart and they use the word REDUNDANCY instead of RETRENCHMENT so a different mode of calculation formula is used. If retrenchment payout will be more for 30 years.
Understand that in their company exercise, those age 58 and above were the targets whether they are excellent or poor performers.
Those younger age who are under performer were not affected.
Mr Tan, based on your past experience as CEO
1. is the use of such words redundancy fair - resulted in the worker receive lesser payout than retrenchment?
2. the exercise of targeting 58 years and above - is it fair
3. the company is driving message be underperformer if you are under 58 you are safe.
4. whats your view if you are the company CEO? are they manipulating these staff?
It looks like such companies are following our leaders style i.e. manipulation of 'words' to benefit the company and in such case our MOM, TAFEP etc bodies are just useless.
Major retrenchment exercise etc, they should step in.
If I am correct majority of the staff affected are in this category. Sad, they have no one to turn to.
REPLY
Let me get the views of other people to this issue, before giving my comments.
Rise of China
How do you view the rise of China in geo-politics?
58% of the people voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd expressed a positive view to this development. 42% expressed a negative view.
See the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=325
58% of the people voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd expressed a positive view to this development. 42% expressed a negative view.
See the detailed breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=325
Low expectation of PM Lee's visit to America
I posed this question in The Wisdom of the Crowd prior to the visit of PM Lee to Washington - Will PM Lee's visit to USA be a success?
Click here to view the votes by the people who responded to this question.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=324
About 10% expected the visit to be useful to Singapore, Over 90% had negative views.
Click here to view the votes by the people who responded to this question.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=324
About 10% expected the visit to be useful to Singapore, Over 90% had negative views.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Daniel Yong's Article #1 - A different culture
Hi Kin Lian,
When I was in Spore you talked about having me write some very short articles on how people in Aust do things differently than in Spore. I'm happy to start this. Here's one:
Recently the organisation I work for engaged external consultants for another round of consultations to help steer the strategic direction of the Division. Our Executive Director is very open to fresh input from anyone. He's opened focus groups and is inviting anyone to participate and have asay in what they think the Division ought to be focusing on and how it ought to conduct its business. To him, the people "at the coal face" are the ones who know best what works or doesn't work and are the people most likely to have suggestions on how to change or improve. And he wants to hear from them.
This is so different from many organisations in Singapore. Especially government organisations. The system of management in Singapore mainly keeps people in the dark. Decisions are made by a few with very little if any consultation. And often times, there isn't much process in place to systematically identify and record where the organisation is currently, where it hopes to be, and what it takes in terms of change to get to where they want to be. As a result, decisions are made without much measurement of success or failure. There is also much less accountability. People especially in government "just move on".
Daniel Yong
When I was in Spore you talked about having me write some very short articles on how people in Aust do things differently than in Spore. I'm happy to start this. Here's one:
Recently the organisation I work for engaged external consultants for another round of consultations to help steer the strategic direction of the Division. Our Executive Director is very open to fresh input from anyone. He's opened focus groups and is inviting anyone to participate and have asay in what they think the Division ought to be focusing on and how it ought to conduct its business. To him, the people "at the coal face" are the ones who know best what works or doesn't work and are the people most likely to have suggestions on how to change or improve. And he wants to hear from them.
This is so different from many organisations in Singapore. Especially government organisations. The system of management in Singapore mainly keeps people in the dark. Decisions are made by a few with very little if any consultation. And often times, there isn't much process in place to systematically identify and record where the organisation is currently, where it hopes to be, and what it takes in terms of change to get to where they want to be. As a result, decisions are made without much measurement of success or failure. There is also much less accountability. People especially in government "just move on".
Daniel Yong
Excessive fines
I am quite worried about the excessive fines imposed by government agencies.
I submitted my return to ACRA after the deadline and had to pay a fine of $300.
An entrepreneur applied for a patent. He did not reply to email enquiry in the portal for 4 months and had to pay a fine of $800 to continue the application.
He said that it was difficult to login to the IPOS portal as they have four levels of security.
These fines are excessive. It does not help the small businessmen who have to struggle to keep afloat.
I submitted my return to ACRA after the deadline and had to pay a fine of $300.
An entrepreneur applied for a patent. He did not reply to email enquiry in the portal for 4 months and had to pay a fine of $800 to continue the application.
He said that it was difficult to login to the IPOS portal as they have four levels of security.
These fines are excessive. It does not help the small businessmen who have to struggle to keep afloat.
Unreasonable for IPOS to introduce a fine
Dear Mr Tan
I just spoke with an Ipos (intellectual properties office of singapore) officer. But I'm very upset to be told to pay a "fine" of. $200 per month of s $800 for 4 months of delay on my part if I want to continue with the application.
This was because they sent me 2 previous letters into my IPOS account in 24 April and 24 July and 23 Oct 2017 but I did not check into the portal which require 4 levels of security. As such it is not convenient to check often if one travels regularly.
I feel that this is an excuse to make money out of a patent applicant's mistakes and not at all helpful in the national interest too.
I need to bring this to the attention of fellow would-be patent applicant's.
Do you think this fine of S$200 per month of delay is right?
REPLY
It is unreasonable for IPOS to impose this fine. They must be wanting to get revenue to cover their high cost of operation. Maybe they want to show a profit.
I do not think your delay in replying to their emails has cause them any expense that justify the imposition of this fine.
I just spoke with an Ipos (intellectual properties office of singapore) officer. But I'm very upset to be told to pay a "fine" of. $200 per month of s $800 for 4 months of delay on my part if I want to continue with the application.
This was because they sent me 2 previous letters into my IPOS account in 24 April and 24 July and 23 Oct 2017 but I did not check into the portal which require 4 levels of security. As such it is not convenient to check often if one travels regularly.
I feel that this is an excuse to make money out of a patent applicant's mistakes and not at all helpful in the national interest too.
I need to bring this to the attention of fellow would-be patent applicant's.
Do you think this fine of S$200 per month of delay is right?
REPLY
It is unreasonable for IPOS to impose this fine. They must be wanting to get revenue to cover their high cost of operation. Maybe they want to show a profit.
I do not think your delay in replying to their emails has cause them any expense that justify the imposition of this fine.
Xi Jinping's power
Is it good for the world for Xi Jinping to be a powerful leader in China?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
$19 billion purchase by SIA
Do you agree with the spending of $19 billion in new aircraft by SIA?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Flooded MRT tunnel
Who should take most of the blame for the flooded tunnel at the NS line?
63% of the people voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd said that the CEO should take most of the blame. 18% said it should be the board of directors.
A smaller percentage said that it should be the VP in charge of maintenance or the Bishan maintenance crew.
See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=322
63% of the people voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd said that the CEO should take most of the blame. 18% said it should be the board of directors.
A smaller percentage said that it should be the VP in charge of maintenance or the Bishan maintenance crew.
See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=322
SMRT to be runned directly by government
Will SMRT operate more efficiently if it were to be run directly by the Government?
55% of the people voting in the Wisdom of the Crowd agreed for two reasons.
View the detailed breakwond of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=323
55% of the people voting in the Wisdom of the Crowd agreed for two reasons.
View the detailed breakwond of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=323
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Transport minister's apology
How do you react to Khaw BW's apology for the breakdown of the MRT service due to flooded tunnel?
Only 5% of those voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd welcomed his apology. The remaining 95% had different views about his statement.
See a breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=320
Only 5% of those voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd welcomed his apology. The remaining 95% had different views about his statement.
See a breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=320
Corpoorate culture in SMRT
What is wrong with the corporate culture in SMRT?
See a breakdown of the reasons in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=321
See a breakdown of the reasons in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=321
Monday, October 23, 2017
More harm than good
I met an old school mate, who is about the same age as me. He told me that his wife had gone for cancer treatment for the past two years. She is weak and has no energy and vitality. The cancer treatment is not doing any good for her.
Another classmate, who was practicising as a doctor and had since retired, said that in many cases, the cancer treatment does more harm than good. It is better for patients to look for alternative treatment, rather than go for chemo or radiotherapy.
There is now more people who have formed this opinion, after watching their friends and family members gone for the futile treatment.
I shared with them the story of Dr. Charlie. They agreed with the thrust of the story.
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=666
Another classmate, who was practicising as a doctor and had since retired, said that in many cases, the cancer treatment does more harm than good. It is better for patients to look for alternative treatment, rather than go for chemo or radiotherapy.
There is now more people who have formed this opinion, after watching their friends and family members gone for the futile treatment.
I shared with them the story of Dr. Charlie. They agreed with the thrust of the story.
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=666
Improve the health care system
I asked a doctor who has been in private practice for 35 years - what are your three wishes to improve the health care system in Singapore and bring down the cost to an affordable level.
He gave his reply here:
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1176
He knows the problem and can make a better health minister than Gan Kim Yong. If minister Gan wants to improve the system, he should talk to this doctor.
He gave his reply here:
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1176
He knows the problem and can make a better health minister than Gan Kim Yong. If minister Gan wants to improve the system, he should talk to this doctor.
Minimum age to enter into a life insurance contract
Hello Mr. Tan,
In Singapore law, can insurance salesmen sell insurances to NS man below age of 21 (say only 20 years of age)? Is there a regulation for this?
When they bought the policy is like signing a formal contract with the insurance companies. I am afraid they are too young to understand the contract or terms and benefits of policy which are long and complicated.
My view is that NS men or Poly students about 20 years of age are too young to understand the contracts and complexities of insurance benefits sold to them.
Read my reply here:
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=529
In Singapore law, can insurance salesmen sell insurances to NS man below age of 21 (say only 20 years of age)? Is there a regulation for this?
When they bought the policy is like signing a formal contract with the insurance companies. I am afraid they are too young to understand the contract or terms and benefits of policy which are long and complicated.
My view is that NS men or Poly students about 20 years of age are too young to understand the contracts and complexities of insurance benefits sold to them.
Read my reply here:
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=529
Be more responsive to feedback
My regular visitors would have noticed that I have often given my observation on "what is wrong" and my suggestions on how to put it right.
Some people expressed the view that I like to complain on many things. That is the wrong impression. Frankly, it does reflect on the negative approach of these commenters.
When I said that JetStar has a bad system to collect feedback, I do not mean that JetStar is bad in many respect. In fact, I travel on JetStar regularly and like their low fares and reliable service.
But I did encounter a lot of problem in getting my itinerary. In spite of make a request to "resend itinerary", i still did not get it. Something is obviously wrong with the website.
To make matters worse, it was extremely painful for me to send my feedback. JetStar should make it easier for customers to give feedback, especially on things that went wrong and needed to be fixed.
I may add that this is not peculiar to JetStar. Many big companies make it difficult for customers to give their feedback. Some people said that it is deliberate. I do not think so. I think that it is just being "stupid".
Let me get back to my general point.
We are now used to getting bad customer service. Many people accept it to be a norm. But this should not be the case. It does not save money for JetStar or any other company to introduce inefficient and troublesome processes. It may even harm their business.
I believe that customers need to be more active in giving feedback and businesses should make it easy for them to do so.
My comment also apply to government agencies. They should be more willing to hear the feedback of the public and be ready to engage them. This could lead to improvements in government policies and processes that make life better for ordinary citizens.
Some people expressed the view that I like to complain on many things. That is the wrong impression. Frankly, it does reflect on the negative approach of these commenters.
When I said that JetStar has a bad system to collect feedback, I do not mean that JetStar is bad in many respect. In fact, I travel on JetStar regularly and like their low fares and reliable service.
But I did encounter a lot of problem in getting my itinerary. In spite of make a request to "resend itinerary", i still did not get it. Something is obviously wrong with the website.
To make matters worse, it was extremely painful for me to send my feedback. JetStar should make it easier for customers to give feedback, especially on things that went wrong and needed to be fixed.
I may add that this is not peculiar to JetStar. Many big companies make it difficult for customers to give their feedback. Some people said that it is deliberate. I do not think so. I think that it is just being "stupid".
Let me get back to my general point.
We are now used to getting bad customer service. Many people accept it to be a norm. But this should not be the case. It does not save money for JetStar or any other company to introduce inefficient and troublesome processes. It may even harm their business.
I believe that customers need to be more active in giving feedback and businesses should make it easy for them to do so.
My comment also apply to government agencies. They should be more willing to hear the feedback of the public and be ready to engage them. This could lead to improvements in government policies and processes that make life better for ordinary citizens.
Downtown Line 3
Would you consider the opening of Downtown Line 3 to be a success?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Ex journalists website
What is a good name for the news website for ex SPH journalist to submit their articles?
The votes are mixed. None of the names is catchy enough to attract a majority of votes.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=318
The votes are mixed. None of the names is catchy enough to attract a majority of votes.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=318
Asean Transport Minister's Meeting
Why did Khaw Boon Wan not chair the meeting of the Asean Transport Ministers held in Singapore?
69% of the people voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd chose the "obvious" answer. He would be embarrassed if the other transport ministers ask him about the frequent breakdown of the MRT system.
Find out the details of the votes here.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=317
69% of the people voting in The Wisdom of the Crowd chose the "obvious" answer. He would be embarrassed if the other transport ministers ask him about the frequent breakdown of the MRT system.
Find out the details of the votes here.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=317
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Benefits of being a FISCA member
You can join FISCA at www.fisca.sg/register.aspx
Here are some benefits for FISCA members.
1. Complimentary books on Financial Planning & Insurance by Mr Tan Kin Lian value at $24.
2. Free admission to attend FiSCA Talks and Gatherings. Public need to pay $20.
3. Free access to articles on FiSCA Website which will be closed for Public viewing after 3 days.
4. Savings in Car Insurance premiums. Email FiSCA at least 14 working days with your vehicle log card, existing renewal premiums and your particulars (FiSCA Membership number, Name, NRIC, Address, Contact Number, Email Address, Date Passed Driving and NCD)
5. Savings in your premiums for Personal Accident and Home Contents.
6. Are you paying too much for your insurance? If you need review, special rates for FiSCA members $80 per hour, Public $120 per hour.
7. Many more Benefits.
Be careful of facebook sponsored ad
I saw a sponsored ad from dapiz.com selling an innovative product ear cleaner for US10. I searched Lazada and found exactly the same product selling to S$2.60 inclusive of delivery. So, I am able to get 5 of this item from Lazada for the same price as advertised by Dapiz.
I have been caught before and have to pay more than twice the price shown on the sponsored ad. Now, I will search Lazada or Q10 for a similar product. Usually, I can find the same product for a fraction of the price.
Here is the product from Lazada.
https://www.lazada.sg/smart-soft-removal-swab-ear-cleaner-spiral-earwax-easy-safe-remove-intl-57496286.html?spm=a2o42.success.0.0.6c763992lEUVgM
I have been caught before and have to pay more than twice the price shown on the sponsored ad. Now, I will search Lazada or Q10 for a similar product. Usually, I can find the same product for a fraction of the price.
Here is the product from Lazada.
https://www.lazada.sg/smart-soft-removal-swab-ear-cleaner-spiral-earwax-easy-safe-remove-intl-57496286.html?spm=a2o42.success.0.0.6c763992lEUVgM
Cancel a policy during free look period
Hi Sir,
I bought a policy a few days (Family First Secure from AIA) and is starting to have second doubts about it. I understand that going straight to the customer centre is the best way to terminate it within 14 days of the policy but I have some points which I'm unsure of.
Read the reply here:
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=528
I bought a policy a few days (Family First Secure from AIA) and is starting to have second doubts about it. I understand that going straight to the customer centre is the best way to terminate it within 14 days of the policy but I have some points which I'm unsure of.
Read the reply here:
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=528
An alternative to retrenchment
During the dotcom burst and the economic recession in the early 2000s, I have to cut down expenses by 10%.
Instead of retrenching 10% of the staff, I cut everybody's salary by 10%, from the CEO down. i gave the staff one month of paid leave every three years.
I cannot remember if the salary cut was 5% or 10%, but my approach was to share the pain equally. I did not wish to have to retrench some of the staff, because they have families to feed.
When the economy recovered, the salary cut was restored. And the one month of paid leave was removed.
Fortunately, during a recession, the cost of living went down. So, the staff was able to cope with the the salary cut.
Some staff were able to find other jobs on their own at better pay. So, they were not worse off. But the majority stayed on and rode through the tough times.
I hope that big companies can consider this method of cutting cost, instead of resorting to retrenchment. Perhaps SPH could have adopted this approach?
Instead of retrenching 10% of the staff, I cut everybody's salary by 10%, from the CEO down. i gave the staff one month of paid leave every three years.
I cannot remember if the salary cut was 5% or 10%, but my approach was to share the pain equally. I did not wish to have to retrench some of the staff, because they have families to feed.
When the economy recovered, the salary cut was restored. And the one month of paid leave was removed.
Fortunately, during a recession, the cost of living went down. So, the staff was able to cope with the the salary cut.
Some staff were able to find other jobs on their own at better pay. So, they were not worse off. But the majority stayed on and rode through the tough times.
I hope that big companies can consider this method of cutting cost, instead of resorting to retrenchment. Perhaps SPH could have adopted this approach?
Development need to be pedestrian friendly
I took a walk around the shops in Flora Vista. I observed the design of this mini shopping mall. It was most disappointing.
The mall was designed on the assumption that all the customers would be driving to the mini-mall. It did not take into account the fact that most of the customers live in the houses nearly and are likely to walk to the mini mall. They have to walk a long way to the entrance of the mall.
It is all right for people who drive. But it is a long walk for people who walk to the mini-mall.
Sadly, most of the developments in Singaore are designed to be friendly to drivers but most unfriendly to pedestrians. It is time for our planners to realize their shortcomings.
It is so sad that after five decades, we have not changed our basic approach towards designing our development to be pedestrian friendly.
The mall was designed on the assumption that all the customers would be driving to the mini-mall. It did not take into account the fact that most of the customers live in the houses nearly and are likely to walk to the mini mall. They have to walk a long way to the entrance of the mall.
It is all right for people who drive. But it is a long walk for people who walk to the mini-mall.
Sadly, most of the developments in Singaore are designed to be friendly to drivers but most unfriendly to pedestrians. It is time for our planners to realize their shortcomings.
It is so sad that after five decades, we have not changed our basic approach towards designing our development to be pedestrian friendly.
GST increases the cost of living
The Malaysian government struggles with dealing with the high cost of living. They are now giving various forms of relief for the lower income groups.
Sadly, they do not know the underlying cause. The most important is the introduction of GST. It increases the cost of living by 6% to 8%. 6% is the actual cost of GST, but the business cost and enforcement cost adds to it.
Why introduce GST and then take measures to deal with it, including lowering income tax for the middle income?
GST is a stupid tax. Why did Malaysia have to follow Singapore. Don't they know that Singapore become so costly after GST was introduced?
Of course, high property prices also play a part. But you can be damned sure that GST also plays a big part.
So stupid!
http://www.todayonline.com/…/who-will-benefit-most-malaysia…
Sadly, they do not know the underlying cause. The most important is the introduction of GST. It increases the cost of living by 6% to 8%. 6% is the actual cost of GST, but the business cost and enforcement cost adds to it.
Why introduce GST and then take measures to deal with it, including lowering income tax for the middle income?
GST is a stupid tax. Why did Malaysia have to follow Singapore. Don't they know that Singapore become so costly after GST was introduced?
Of course, high property prices also play a part. But you can be damned sure that GST also plays a big part.
So stupid!
http://www.todayonline.com/…/who-will-benefit-most-malaysia…
Downtown Line 3
Is the successful start of Downtown Line 3 a good sign for the future of our MRT?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Articles by Ex Journalists
Will you pay $0.10 for an online article written by a retrenched experienced journalist?
I am surprised. About 65% of the people voting in the Wisdom of the Crowd said that they would, for four reasons. 35% would not pay for the article as they can get free articles from the Internet.
You can see the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=316
I am surprised. About 65% of the people voting in the Wisdom of the Crowd said that they would, for four reasons. 35% would not pay for the article as they can get free articles from the Internet.
You can see the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=316
A sexist remark?
If a man tells a girl that she is sexy, is it a sexist remark?
Most of the people answering in The Wisdom of the Crowd must be men. 49% said that it is not a sexist remark if it is meant as a compliment. Anouter 24% said that it is not a sexist remark if the girl does not feel offended.
See the votes in
Most of the people answering in The Wisdom of the Crowd must be men. 49% said that it is not a sexist remark if it is meant as a compliment. Anouter 24% said that it is not a sexist remark if the girl does not feel offended.
See the votes in
I wonder what the girls really think?
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Lee family dispute
What is the best way for the Lee siblings to solve their family dispute? Can you give some advice to Lee HL?
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Intrusive advertisements
Online news website need to get some revenue, so they introduce intrusive advertisements. But their readers do not like them.
There are better ways to get revenue.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=314
There are better ways to get revenue.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=314
How to prevent flooding of the MRT tunnel
Can you run SMRT better than CEO Kuek? Can you prevent the flooding of the tunnel? How can you do it?
Here are the views of the people who voted in The Wisdom of the Crowd
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=313
The answers are quite straight forward, yet Kuek did not get it right?
Here are the views of the people who voted in The Wisdom of the Crowd
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=313
The answers are quite straight forward, yet Kuek did not get it right?
Buying from a friend
Someone sent this question for me to pose in The Wisdom of the Crowd - When you buy something from a friend, do you expect to get a special discount
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Give your vote in
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg
Friday, October 20, 2017
Forest City Progress report - 15 Oct 2017
The marketing executive for Forest City sent me this progress report as at 15 Oct 2017. The development is progressing well.
It also shows the construction of the hotel and the clubhouse at the golf course. This should be of interest to golf enthusiasts (but not me).
http://www.tankinlian.com/PDF/1422
It also shows the construction of the hotel and the clubhouse at the golf course. This should be of interest to golf enthusiasts (but not me).
http://www.tankinlian.com/PDF/1422
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